FCVFD - Incident Photos
County Drill - Advanced SCBA
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Description
Thorough knowledge and skill with self-contained breathing apparatus is a key element to the survival of a firefighter in a hazardous environment. This drill allowed members to practice a variety of high-intensity procedures with the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). All personnel completed four skills stations: Confined space maneuvering - using pallets donated by Sislers Stone of Falls Church, instructors built tunnels that the firefighters had to crawl through wearing full personal protective equipment and a blacked out facepiece to simulate low visibility conditions. Low-visibility orientation and disentanglement - teams of two followed a tangled web of hoselines through the smoke house wearing full personal protective equipment and blacked out facepieces. During their trip through the building, instructors snagged the air tank of the firefighters and required the firefighters to disentangle themselves to escape. Buddy breathing - emergency procedures to share air from a single breathing apparatus between two firefighters were practiced with blacked out facepieces. Tower climb - firefighters were required to ascend 3-stories to the top of the tower wearing full protective clothing and carrying a bundle of 100 feet of 1 3/4" hoseline. At the top, they dropped the hose bundle, returned to the ground, climbed back up the tower, and retrieved the bundle of hose. The evolution ended when the hose bundle had been returned to the ground. Approximately 30 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians from the Arlington, Ballston, Cherrydale, Clarendon, and Falls Church VFDs participated. Captain Schomburg planned and organized the drill.
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