Our firefighters need to be ready to respond to any emergency situation. But how do you stay ready when some of those emergency situations don’t occur every day? You train, for every possible scenario, all the time.

Firefighters take part in “Firefighter Down” training which reviews critical May Day procedures for identifying and rescuing lost, injured or trapped firefighters as well as self-rescue in life-threatening situations.

Miner’s Towing has donated vehicles for the District’s auto extrication training. Rescue personnel practice maneuvers to remove victims trapped in vehicles, using hydraulic tools including cutters (the “Jaws of Life”), spreaders, and rams.

Personnel certified to drive our apparatus undergo annual proficiency checks in which they’re tested on common maneuvers they would employ in a fire/rescue situation, including setting up pumping attack lines, securing water supply from fire hydrants, and supporting an attack pumper with additional water supply.

The District’s Baumgartner Training Facility is a multi-level training structure designed for live fire training. Depending on the scenario, the facility offers up to four strategically placed burn rooms which allow for training in fires of up to 1200 degrees. The floor plan provides opportunities for staging training exercises for different kinds of facilities, for example, single-family residential structures as well as apartments or hotels.