Training
The training division is responsible for the day to day training efforts of the department. We place a very large emphasis on training our members if firefighting techniques, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials, and any other challenge that is presented to us.
In addition to firefighter training, the training division is also tasked with coordinating the SAFE and senior SAFE programs.
To meet the goals stated in our Mission Statement, the members of the Dracut Fire Department perform training exercises two to three hours each weekday on various firefighting topics and skills. Such training is conducted in our training classroom and via practical "real-time" hands-on exercises in various locations throughout town. Following is an explanation of a training exercise recently performed by department members and a link to a slideshow of the firefighters performing the exercise.
Primary Search
A Primary Search is a technique performed by firefighters inside a building with a reported fire. Firefighters enter a building wearing full firefighting gear (including air-packs) and crawling on hands and knees to keep below smoke and heat to search for trapped occupants and fire location. Upon finding any occupants and/or the fire location, the firefighters will report their findings to the Incident Commander via radio and request additional firefighters for assistance if necessary. The slideshow in the following link depicts a training exercise using a search maze which is designed to simulate the interior of a building. Firefighters enter the search maze with black felt inside their masks to reduce visibility to zero (to simulate actual fire/smoke conditions). The goal of this exercise is for firefighters, with zero visibility, to navigate through a building while encountering walls and low-profile and narrow spaces through which they must pass, while searching for occupants and fire location.