Citizen’s Fire Academy

I’ve attended both a police department and sheriff’s department citizen’s academy to learn more about law enforcement. Last night I attended the first session of an academy put on by a fire department. Some of the things I learned:
- The fire triangle of heat, fuel and oxygen—you need to eliminate at least one to put out a fire.
- This fire department works shift of 48 hours on and 96 hours off. They feel that this schedule is more efficient and leads to less sleep deprivation that 24 hour shifts.
- 73% of their calls are medical and only 5% actual fires.
- If a family member has a Do Not Resuscitate legal document, you need to show this to paramedics otherwise they will take all actions to resuscitate when called.
- Getting a fire fighting job is extremely competitive and once hired requires an extensive amount of ongoing training.
- A fitness exam must to be passed every year to continue as a fire fighter, so there is an emphasis on constant physical conditioning.
More next week.