This week, Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews were given self-rescue training to protect themselves if something goes wrong while in the line of duty.
“It’s important that we have a focus on firefighter safety as [much as we do for] everyone else that we respond to,” says Chad Porter of Nanaimo Fire Rescue.
The training was constructed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) which have a mobile training trailers called the Fire Ground Survival Program that travel across North America to help train stations.
The trailer is equipped with real life scenarios and teaches fire crews how to escape life-threatening scenarios safely.
“When firefighters encounter situations where they become trapped or entangled or disoriented the outcomes are usually not very positive and often result in deaths,” says Porter.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue have four firefighters that were trained last April in Victoria, along with other selected firefighters from across the province that are now training their own members.
