Live fires happen daily, and they’re everything but benign. When there’s a burning building, a car on fire, or a forest fire, we need skilled and professional firefighters to stop the fire from creating a hazard. Firefighters go through complex smoke and live-fire training, which includes a group of mentally and physically prepared trainers who create a simulation of a live-fire for firefighters to train.
Indeed, these simulations are best carried out at burning buildings that would have been torn down soon anyway. Trainees must go through complex fire training and smoke training to obtain fast problem-solving skills while learning how to remain calm at all times. Do you think anyone can become a firefighter? Let’s answer this question by giving you a line-out of what live-fire and smoke training require.
The three essential steps of each firefighter training
As mentioned, firefighter training takes place in a simulation of live-fire (a burning building). The trainers must ensure the building is vent-free to ensure a safe airflow. Each live-fire training includes using a smoke training machine, which, along with smoke curtains, helps trainees see the path created by the flow of air.
This training is quite challenging, and includes three basic steps:
1. Following the NFPA 1403
This document outlines all the requirements for firefighter training and what to do to prevent fatalities and serious injuries from taking place. Numerous trainers think the standards of the NFPA 1403 are too rigorous, but it’s best to keep everything on the safe side and practice “too” hard than to witness injuries in a real-life fire.
2. Purchasing the training equipment
Trainers should purchase smoke curtains and smoke machines from reputable suppliers with years of experience. Trainers must test all smoke machines before giving them to trainees to remove all faulty products and fix all potential malfunctions before the live-fire training occurs.
3. Skillset needed for a firefighter’s job
Whoever goes through firefighter training must meet all the rigorous requirements before going live-action. These requirements include learning how to properly use the equipment, what to do if it gets damaged in putting a fire out, and how to act calmly during the whole process.
The training requires tremendous physical and mental readiness, and all trainees have to be in perfect shape. They have to learn how to climb ladders fast, have the strength to lift heavy objects, and move fast through smokey rooms. Whoever isn’t this mentally and physically prepared shouldn’t even consider applying for firefighter training to make it their profession.
