On Wednesday evening, April 1st, three structures slated for demolition made what would be a great evening of hands-on training for the firefighters from station 47.
What was once a quiet residential neighborhood with homes fronting Dekalb Pike (formally known as Swedesford Road), was turned into commercial properties. This commercial boom occurred in the late 50’s and throughout most of the 1960s and 1970s, as King of Prussia would turn from farming to a growing community full of homes and commerce. As times change once again and our economy is starting to grow, KoP is starting to see a re-development phase as we tear down the old and start anew.
In keeping with past practice, the Fire Marshal’s Office in UpperMerionTownship works with developers to allow these buildings to be used for training before demolition. In many cases, both fire and police services get to train in these acquired properties in an effort to hone our skills and stay sharp by practicing our craft.
Starting over the weekend, several of the officers photographed the site, walked through the properties and sketched out what would be a well thought out training plan. Monday and Tuesday several of our volunteers prepared the site, eliminating any unsafe conditions and adding special effects to enhance the training experience.
On Wednesday evening, 22 members took to these structures for a full evening of hands-on training evolutions and demonstrations. One demonstration provided the use of a power saw to remove an American series 2000 “hockey puck” lock. The second demonstration examined the use of a power saw to force entry into a set of steel exterior “Bilco Style” cellar doors.
Crews were then broken into three training teams and were assigned to the following training scenario groups.
A] Commercial roof ventilation practices using cut off style rescue saws.
B] Residential roof ventilation practices using chain saws.
C] Hose line advancement using the recently incorporated “Minuteman” hose load. This was combined with hose stretching into a residential and commercial property as well as incorporating some forced entry techniques.
Crews were then reassembled and reviewed the proper technique for Vent Entry and Search operations as well as also participating in the entry component and searching operation. Several members were able to capitalize on some pump familiarization on Squad (rescue-engine) 47.
Along with the 22 King of Prussia members, we also had 2 firefighters from Goodwill Fire Company of Bridgeport and 1 guest observer, Jacquie Mitchell.
Ms. Mitchell has been working with the KPVFC for the past several months in developing and maintaining a physical workout regiment in an effort to help us stay fit for duty. One of her concerns was understanding what we did on the emergency scenes. That said, we fitted Jacquie with a set of turnouts and she engaged in training alongside the brigade. Being able to watch us work will help with fine tuning our program to best fit our firefighters.
The officers and members want to thank our neighbors in the Valley Forge Homes community, directly behind where we trained. Specifically those on residing on Crockett and Shaffer Roads. Although we made a lot of noise and stayed later then we would have liked, the training was invaluable to us and needed for our success. We thank you for your understanding and patience while we performed this most important training last evening.
- Crews completing ventilation practices on a commercial roof
