Local firemen continue to sharpen skills

By Kathy Thomson

Members of the Albany Volunteer Fire Department not only contribute their time by responding to emergency calls when needed and maintaining their equipment, they also spend precious hours in training, learning how to better protect and serve their community, and teaching fire safety.

Last month, firefighters Paige Thompson and Casey Kimbrough went to the 23rd annual Red River District SFFMA Fire Protection School in Decatur.

“Both Paige and Casey enrolled in Firefighter Stress and Family Relations, and in Auto Extrication,” said AVFD chief Kyle Tischler. “Some of the things we see in our line of work can be quite damaging on a person, and we need to know how to properly handle our stress.”

The other training session attended by the two local firefighters was Vehicle Extrication.

“They learned new techniques in the art of vehicle extrication,” said the fire chief. “And yes, it is an art. Knowing how cars are made and how they react in certain areas to the hydraulic tools we use is key to success.”

The students practiced on several different makes and models of cars to get a better understanding and skill set in dismantling a car to remove trapped or injured occupants. 

“They learned specific types of ‘cuts’ and ‘pinch points’ to speed up the process of gaining entry,” said the chief. “They also learned firefighter safety when working this type of call.”

Firefighters can not afford to neglect scene safety, including potential dangers from passing traffic as well as from vehicle airbags.

The training was paid for by a Texas Forest Service tuition grant, according to Tischler.

“These fire schools we go to help us gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill to do our jobs,” he said.

Haz-Mat Training

Members of the AVFD hosted a two-day Haz-Mat Awareness and Operations class at the Albany fire station Oct. 5-6.

“This particular class is one of the additional required classes needed to obtain a Firefighter I certification,” said Tischler. “We have several members who needed this class, and we knew of several area firefighters needing it as well, so we decided to host one.” 

The course was funded via a Texas Division of Emergency Manaagement grant and was provided free of charge to attendees.

“We had three or four of our certified members helping to teach the class,” the fire chief said. 

CPR Class

The AVFD is hosting a CPR class on Saturday, Oct. 19, starting at 8:00 a.m. and lasting around four hours.

“This will be a certified adult, child, and infant CPR and first aid class,” said Tischler. “It is open to the public, and we have room for up to 12 attendees. I expect it to fill up quickly.”

There is a $38 charge to attend.

Fire Safety Week

In honor of fire safety week, which is Oct. 6-12, members of the AVFD will go to the local elementary schools on Friday, Oct. 18 to teach the students about fire safety.

This year’s national campaign slogan is “Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and Practice your Escape.”