(Prince Albert Fire Department/Facebook)

By Ian Gustafson

Honing their skills

P.A. firefighters practice high angle rescue training

Jun 4, 2020 | 3:07 PM

Last week the Prince Albert Fire Department sharpened their skills working on high angle rescue training.

Deputy Fire Chief Alex Paul told paNOW they do this type of training often to make sure they’re prepared.

“It’s part of the ongoing training that all of our staff do. They’ve all been certified in high angle rope rescue,” Paul said. “Right now with COVID-19 and a number of the civic facilities being shutdown, we have the opportunity to get in and use the interior of the Alfred Jenkins Field House when there’s no public in there to do some training.”

This training is meant to keep the firefighters’ skills current and he said they’ll do this several times throughout the year including numerous other types of training they need.

“Knot-tying, creating anchor points, haul systems, rigging are all things they have to implement,” he explained.

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Through the scenario, crew members lower the basket over the railing of the Alfred Jenkins Field House along with a firefighter to load a weighted dummy into the basket and back up to safety. This is a simulation of what they would have to if they needed to rescue someone from the side of a building, such as a window washer.

Paul explained this type of incident very rarely occurs in Prince Albert.

“However, in order for our members to be prepared for it, it’s probably more important that they practice regularly because they don’t get the real-life experience,” he said.

“They get their practice in a lot of cases by actually doing the hands-on work. Whereas some of the other more technical skills, high angle, trench rescue, confined space that sort of thing that doesn’t happen very often. We have to rely on constant training to make sure they’re ready for the event when they do have to respond to a call.”

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12