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Drill of the Week: Team Building Drills For The Engine Company
This week's installment features drills that allow members of a company to rotate through the pump operator position to test their skills at delivering water to initial attack crews and securing a backup water source before running out of tank water. The drills can be completed in less than an hour and are based on individual performance. Those not participating in the drill at a given time can observe its progress and comment during the subsequent critique session.
Drill 1 simulates a private dwelling fire where a standard 1 3/4-inch attack line would be stretched. The hydrant is within 100 feet of the dwelling. The second drill simulates a scenario of a fully involved building with a severe exposure problem and a hydrant directly in front of the occupancy, the type of fire at which you need to put a 21/2-inch line in service immediately, to prevent extension.
These drills were developed to see what you can expect from your pump operator. Is it realistic to expect that a pump operator can hand stretch 75 feet of four-inch hose by himself and get the plug in service before the engine runs out of water? The answer should be YES if a 1 3/4-inch handline is stretched; it is probably NO if a 2 1/2-inch line is stretched, unless you are operating off a 1,000-gallon booster tank. If you do not try it, you will never know.
The key to these drills is to instill in all the participants that they need to do it right the first time. Sometimes you can cut a corner or two, and sometimes you get caught. If you get caught on the fireground, the operation will suffer and people could be placed in danger, especially if an engine runs out of water during a fire attack.
View the drills HERE.
