By JASON HOEVELMANN
Recently, members of the Sullivan (MO) Fire Protection District discussed training ideas at the firehouse. The topic eventually turned to training concerns that we felt had either not been addressed in a long time or were new and never before presented to many of our members. Out of all our concerns, the training issues that stood out the most to us were the cost and quality of Mayday training.
Like many volunteer and combination departments across the country, we must be very careful about where we spend our money. For our size, we do pretty well with our training budget, and we are fortunate to have a board of directors that realizes training is paramount; in the few years that we ran over budget on a particular line item, the board found ways to move some more money into that item. That extra effort from our board makes us even more frugal, especially early in the budget year, when we conducted this training.
I sat down with a few members and started drawing our obstacle course prop ideas. From watching Internet videos (a great and fairly cheap resource), we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to accomplish. We drew some sketches and narrowed them down to two plans.
A member of our department, who also works in a lumberyard, visited the firehouse one night after he got off work and started modifying our prop to make it easier to set up and take down and make it compact enough to store and transport. This was important to us because we wanted to take this training to other departments; if it worked out well, it could become the community’s Mayday training prop. This could be valuable to some very small, poorly funded volunteer departments in our area because they could use our prop without any expense.
The lumberyard member took our materials list and returned to the firehouse with the items needed and a bill. The final cost was very reasonable; it wasn’t free, but it was at a great discount. The resultant prop would not be a one-shot prop that we would eventually have to replace. We could use this prop over and over again. Over a two-week period, volunteers took their own time to build it and, on completion, practice with it.
We built five stations into this 40-foot prop. The first station simulated a collapse; to recreate a feeling of disorientation, we pinned plastic fencing over a firefighter’s back and blacked out his mask (photo 1). The second station simulated a floor collapse or fall. The third station was a dead end (photo 2). The fourth station had a wire entanglement; we used wire that was given to us free of charge by local contractors who had junk or trash wire on their job sites (photo 3). The fifth and final station was a wall breach (photos 4, 5).
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After completing the main prop, we set up three additional stations around it to provide members with extra training; we felt these extra activities were important to a firefighter’s survival. These additional stations did not require any additional costs or prop building, just the use of some equipment and furniture that every firehouse contains. We now had a total of four Mayday activities for the firefighters to use to build their confidence, teach them basic survival skills, and help them better understand the situations that necessitate their calling a Mayday.
The first of the additional stations was a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air consumption test, which we created based on tips from one of Fire Department of New York Battalion Chief John Salka’s training presentations; we then modified it to fit our department’s standards. We placed members in full protective gear and SCBA and set up tables for them to crawl under and chairs for them to step over. We recorded each member’s air supply and timed each from beginning to end. The member would then climb up the stairs and, on reaching the top, crawl about 35 feet and back, then descend (walk down) the stairs and start over. When a member’s low-air alarm sounded, we recorded that time; the member then stood idle or walked back and forth until the mask was sucking to his face from lack of air. When the bottle was completely empty, we recorded that time as well. Each member completed this station at an easy, comfortable pace.
This exercise was a real eye-opener for many who have not had much experience wearing SCBA for an extended time. Some members were on air longer than they had anticipated, while some were on air for a lot less time than they expected. We stressed to them that they have to know approximately how much time they have in a hazardous atmosphere; they should not simply wait for the low-air alarm to sound to begin their exit.
The exercise also identified members who needed to be in better shape. Some were exhausted and stopped working, just walking and crawling. One of our more experienced firefighters even stated that he had never completely emptied his SCBA before. This was a valuable and cost-effective drill that instilled confidence and identified limits for SCBA use.
The second additional exercise used a charged 200-foot 1¾-inch hose with a nozzle that we tangled, twisted, and looped over itself several times (photo 6). We wanted to teach the correct method of following a hoseline out of a building in smoky conditions. We again blacked out the firefighter’s mask to simulate the poor visibility inside a burning building. The firefighter then started from the nozzle and had to find his way back to the other end of the station.
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When the firefighter became confused or lost, he would be required to call a Mayday to signify that he was unsure of how to get out. At this point, we repositioned him in the middle of the tangled hose, and he would try again. If he, again, was unsure of which way to go, he would call a Mayday.
The third station was our five-station Mayday prop. The firefighter would again start with his mask blacked out and then radio to command that he was entering the building (prop). On reaching each obstacle, the firefighter was required to call a Mayday and use the LUNAR acronym (Location, Unit, Name/Nature of problem, Assignment/Air supply, Resources) until command advised him to continue. This was done five times; on the fifth and final time through, the firefighter would breach a wall of gypsum and report that he had self-extricated.
Before this drill, we made clear that firefighters should not enter hazardous areas that may entangle them, such as the exercise that used the wire entanglement. We clearly identified that we were using that portion of the prop to give the firefighter the sensation of being entangled and to call the Mayday after he realized he was entangled.
The final additional exercise was a command post that handled the prop’s five Maydays (photo 7). We felt it was important for members to know how we handle Maydays and how we use their information. Each firefighter had to answer the Mayday at the command post and make sure the troubled firefighter was giving the appropriate information that would assist in his rescue. This also allowed the command post firefighter to hear how difficult it can be to hear the Mayday if the troubled firefighter is not calm and concise.
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The best aspect of this training night was that we held it in our engine bays. Having multiple stations eliminated the need for crews to just stand around; everyone was active at all times. That night, we counted that each firefighter called or received at least 12 Maydays, while hearing many more from their counterparts. It was by far one of the most popular training sessions that we had conducted in a long time. We received valuable feedback that we can use for future training. This training better prepared our firefighters to recognize when to call for a Mayday; they are also more willing to call for one. It doesn’t take a lot of money or fancy props to have great training—just a little ingenuity, a willingness to work, and a great support staff.
JASON HOEVELMANN is a 20-year fire service veteran and a deputy chief/fire marshal with the Sullivan (MO) Fire Protection District. He is also a career firefighter/paramedic with the Florissant (MO) Valley Fire Protection District. He is an adjunct instructor for the St. Louis County (MO) Fire Academy and a state-certified fire officer II. Hoevelmann has an associate degree in paramedic science and a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration from Eastern Oregon University. He is a state advocate for the Everyone Goes Home initiative and a member of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.
