General Firefighter Course gets Practical (11/06/2024)
Last Sunday saw the General Firefighter course get out of the station for some practical training. Participants and trainers, supported by three experienced members from Buxton, ventured down to the Buxton Mountain Bike Park to learn about dry firefighting techniques along with the care and maintenance of small tools. This was followed by obtaining water from both static sources and reticulated mains.
Taggerty Fire Brigade Captain, Tom Goldstraw, spoke to the group about the importance of understanding how fuel, weather, and topography dictates how a fire burns in the open. Tom is an experienced Operations Officer with Forest Fire Management Victoria and took the crews through the process of creating a mineral earth break.
After a hearty morning tea, provided by the Buxton Fire Brigade Support Team, the training moved on to obtaining water from a static supply. Lieutenant Darren McGrath, from Eildon CFA, took the crews through the process of draughting water from the Acheron River using both multi-length hose and single-length flexible hose. Afterwards the crews relocated to Steavenson Road where Captain Paul Denham AFSM explained the procedure for sourcing water from the reticulated water main and domestic fire tanks.
The course continues with Entrapment Drill training this Thursday evening; which concludes the block practical training. Next Sunday the participants will complete a Consolidation Training Day and then their theory and practical assessment the following week.
If you're interested in getting involved email recruiting@buxtoncfa.com.