For the last several weeks, the RFD has been training on vehicle fires and foam operations. Last night, the training was held at the Bergen County Life Safety Complex in neighboring Mahwah. Two different scenarios were set up to have some diversity in operations. A car fire simulator was used on ground level and the second station was an elevated parking garage with a simulator located on the top floor of a building inside the garage. Ironically, a classic car was destroyed by fire located inside a parking garage in Ramsey just last week.
The first station utilized one engine connected to a hydrant with 2 attack lines stretched to extinguish the fire. Each member was rotated around to allow for sharpening their skills with the hoselines. The second station had some different elements added to the operation. The tower ladder was utilized as a standpipe system to bring water to the top floor. some standpipe systems require a period of time to fill from the FDC, where the tower ladder can bring water substantially faster. Since there was a parapet wall, the parapet access set up was utilized from the bucket for easy access to the roof. The high rise hose packs were stretched in from the discharge in the bucket. This scenario allowed pump operators to sharpen their skills on different pressures for the proper amount of water. The members on this operation got a feel for operations with a 2-1/2" line, which is our high rise pack. Four of our newest members also attended the drill and got a feel for hoseline work and procedures. Thank you to the staff at the academy for their time.