Getting in your gear to do anything and everything makes you more comfortable with the weight, bulkiness, decreased dexterity, and temperature extremes.
We had Hazmat training and got to pull out the Level A suits. I was on the entry team and got to go get the dummy out. Then we had to be "deconned" and get out of our suits. The zipper in my suit got stuck, and after a dozen guys tried to get it open, they finally cut the seam and shipped the suit back to the manufacturer. The guys kept asking if I was ok, and how I was doing on air, etc. I was fine- a bit sweaty- but fine. I did find it a bit funny watching all the guys tug and try to open the zipper. 
We set up an obstacle course in our bay- we put paper in our facepieces so we couldnt see and set up a drill. We charged about 250' of hose, tangled it all up, and simulated being disoriented and having to find our way out. It was 95 degrees outside and we had just eaten spaghetti. Not the most ideal conditions for crawling around, but it was realistic! The guys were spraying the nozzle a bit, so the humidity quickly fogged up my camera. During the drill we had to follow the tangled hose, making sure not to lose the line, then they would simulate a collapse, then turn your air off. We had to find another firefighter and hook up to the buddy breather. This lets two people share air from one cylinder. It makes things complicated becaue your air lasts half as long and you have to stay within about a foot of each other. It's not easy to get out quickly like that, but its great training!
1 comments:
That looks like a great drill. We often wash trucks in gear and scba for the same reason! Js
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