CFA volunteers hone BA skills
CFA firefighters from across West and South Gippsland participated in a mass training day using breathing apparatus equipment in Warragul last month..
Firefighters must wear BA masks and oxygen cylinders while completing strenuous tasks every six months to retain competency.
New BA operators go through stringent testing to ensure they are ready and able in an emergency.
The training was organised by Noojee Brigade training officer Dave Blacker.
“We decided to run a mass training exercise for a number of reasons,” Dave said.
“One, we could organise to have training equipment and expertise in one location; two, it logistically makes sense to have the breathing apparatus cylinders in one place and able to be easily re-filled in a timely manner; three, Warragul Fire Brigade hosted the industry training prop, where firefighters can wear BA and fight a fire; and four, we could fill a building with simulated smoke for a search and rescue component.”
He said the day was well received with 19 brigades and 66 firefighters participating.
Brigades attending included DarnumEllinbank, Drouin, Drouin West, Erica and District, Grantville, Hallora and District, Inverloch, Longwarry and District, Neerim South, Noojee, Tarwin Lower, Trafalgar, Traralgon, Warragul, Westbury, Willow Grove, Yallourn North and Yarragon.
“Of these, 38 firefighters were out of qualification and will now be re-qualified; 15 were assessed and remain ‘competent’ and pleasingly, 13 firefighters tried it out,” Dave said.
“After firefighters completed the tasks members had biometric data taken by the Yallourn North Rehabilitation Unit and CFA Health Monitoring. The cylinders were re-filled by the Traralgon BA Van.
“CFA Health Monitoring will use the biometric data to analyse how well participants used BA; this was a new initiative and will be used to inform BA training into the future.”
Dave thanked brigade members for participating and said particular thanks was due to Noojee and Warragul volunteers for running the activities, deputy group officer Alan Richardson for testing participants, the Traralgon BA Van team, Yallourn North Rehabilitation Unit team, Inverloch brigade and operators of the forward operations vehicle.