Jake Jakabosky
In my last Fire Lines article (December 2017) I said I would discuss more fully the firefighters’ personal protective equipment, radio use, and what happens between page-out and arriving at a structure fire. After the page-out, volunteers arriving at the fire hall exhibit a single-minded purpose. One or more engines and the 4,000-gallon tender are fired up to build pressure for their air braking systems. Firefighters quickly and deliberately don their structure fire gear commonly called “turnouts”. First are the trousers, with sturdy boots positioned in the pant legs, followed by a heavy coat, all of which are made of special fire proof materials. A protective hood is pulled over the head and down the neck, followed by a helmet with face shield and headlamp attached.
Each person grabs their hand-held radio and their face mask with its air line and hustles to the engine. Upon exiting the fire hall, the crew advises Goldendale Dispatch by radio that they are responding. Members (except the driver) strap on the SCBA’s (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) mounted in their seat backs. They pull their name tags from their helmets to go on the “passport” board, a message board which the incident commander uses to keep track of firefighters and responding apparatus.
As the engine races to the scene, siren blaring, a discussion about the location of the fire ensues: How long is the driveway, where will tenders be able to take up a position, is there room in the driveway to turn one or more apparatus around? By this point everyone has tuned their hand-held radios to a tac (tactical) channel for a short-range transmission to eliminate interference to any other emergency traffic on the Klickitat County fire channel.
Next, duties are assigned to each firefighter – someone is responsible for pulling the 4” supply line for the tender and anchoring it as the engine drives toward the burning structure. Someone else assists in positioning the engine by directing the driver to back up to a safe location close to the home, followed by setting the two wheel chocks. Others pull appropriate size hoses, based on the size of the structure and fire, and position each hose in the most effective place for the firefighting effort. The driver usually takes the role of the engineer, who starts the pump, regulates water pressure, and connects the 4” line to the engine. The engineer also lays out the chainsaw and other tools that may be needed for entry to the building or through the roof to vent smoke or access the fire. The previous article covered the next steps in the effort to halt the blaze.
If being a first responder sounds interesting to you and you desire being able to help your friends and neighbors in a time of need, please seriously consider joining your local fire department. We are always in need of new volunteers; and this will become even more important when the new High Prairie Fire Hall on Schilling Road is built in the near future. As part of the requirements for the certification which will lower insurance rates in that area, a minimum of six firefighters must be assigned to that hall.