Firefighters from Warragul Fire Brigade recently spent a day at West Sale Training Ground learning the practical aspects of operating a firefighting pump under operational conditions.
Over recent weeks, some firefighters from Warragul have been doing the Advanced Pumping course, a CFA course covering the theory behind operating a firefighting pump, calculating flow rates, pressure loss, optimum operating pressures and more. All the stuff that makes life easier for the person holding the branch and putting the fire out.
Last Saturday, 18 April, 12 firefighters travelled to West Sale Training Ground and put the theory into practice.
They learnt that you lose 10kpa of pressure for every one metre that the hose is raised above the pump, demonstrated by squirting water from the top of CFA's Search & Rescue Training Prop.
Another key piece of knowledge gained was friction loss. In a nutshell, water flowing past the inside walls of a hose gets slowed down by friction a bit, and that needs to be taken into consideration when calculating how much water can be supplied at a fire.
They also got to operate Warragul Pumper's pump - a key part of the vehicle's equipment. Participants did a 'changeover', where you change from using water from the tank on the truck to using water from a hydrant - all without interrupting the flow and pressure that's being used to extinguish a fire. It may sound insignificant, but when you're on the end of the branch and pressures fluctuate, it most certainly is not!
Second Lieutenant John Alexander, running the course, said "We thought it was going to be a wet day, but it cleared up nicely. They got to put theory into practice, and candidates could see that what is supposed to happen actually does happen."
Firefighter Emma Hodges loved the day. When asked about the day, she replied "Yeah I had a great time. I love all the stuff I'm learning. I learnt how to do a changeover from tank to hydrant which I've never done before. We also got to see theory in practice, like the effects on friction and pressure rules."
Firefighter Bec De La Haye, assisting with the day, said "It was good for them, some had barely used the pump on Warragul Pumper, and most had never used the pump on Hallora Tanker 2 - completely different to our tanker!"
Lieutenant Alexander was full of praise for those who helped run the day. "The Pad Operators (staff who maintain and operate the training ground) put on a lovely BBQ for lunch. Everyone got something out of the training, which was good. Thanks to Paul and Bec for helping make it a successful day."
Photos courtesy of Captain Paul Tandberg.
Author: Daniel Eshuis