By Brett Fisher

  • Photos by Brett Fisher. A firefighter uses the blunt end of an axe as a hammer to force open a door.
    Photos by Brett Fisher. A firefighter uses the blunt end of an axe as a hammer to force open a door.
  • Paramedics work on a simulated cardiac victim in the back of an ambulance.
    Paramedics work on a simulated cardiac victim in the back of an ambulance.
  • Firefighters work to force open a door to a burning building.
    Firefighters work to force open a door to a burning building.
  • Firefighters work through thick smoke inside a burning building.
    Firefighters work through thick smoke inside a burning building.
  • Firefighting crews use the jaws of life to pry open a door during a mock vehicle extraction.
    Firefighting crews use the jaws of life to pry open a door during a mock vehicle extraction.
  • Firefighters work their way through heavy smoke inside a dark building.
    Firefighters work their way through heavy smoke inside a dark building.
  • A glass saw is used to cut away shards of broken windshield during a mock extraction.
    A glass saw is used to cut away shards of broken windshield during a mock extraction.
  • Firefighters creating a water line during a wildland fire exercise along Goni Canyon Rd.
    Firefighters creating a water line during a wildland fire exercise along Goni Canyon Rd.
  • Wildland firefighters stretch out hoses from an engine along Goni Canyone Rd.
    Wildland firefighters stretch out hoses from an engine along Goni Canyone Rd.
  • Trainees disembark the rear of an ambulance after a simulated cardiac arrest transport.
    Trainees disembark the rear of an ambulance after a simulated cardiac arrest transport.
  • The jaws of life are used during a mock vehicle extraction exercise.
    The jaws of life are used during a mock vehicle extraction exercise.
  • Firefighters pull hose into a burning building.
    Firefighters pull hose into a burning building.
  • Wildland firefighters spray an area ahead of them with water to create a fire line.
    Wildland firefighters spray an area ahead of them with water to create a fire line.
  • Paramedics and trainees discuss the cardiac arrest exercise.
    Paramedics and trainees discuss the cardiac arrest exercise.
  • Trainees suit up for a structure fire exercise.
    Trainees suit up for a structure fire exercise.
  • The end of a structure fire exercise.
    The end of a structure fire exercise.
  • Trainees are relieved after completing the structure fire exercise.
    Trainees are relieved after completing the structure fire exercise.
  • Cardiac simulation dummy in the back of an ambulance.
    Cardiac simulation dummy in the back of an ambulance.
  • Trainees and paramedics discuss the cardiac arrest simulation exercise.
    Trainees and paramedics discuss the cardiac arrest simulation exercise.

A firefighting operations orientation training program was held Friday at the Carson City Training Center, behind Carson City Fire Department (CCFD) Station 52, located at 2400 East College Parkway, and next to the Carson City Municipal Airport.

The second annual training, organized by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 3895 in the Truckee Meadows and co-hosted by the Truckee Meadows Fire Chiefs Association, is designed to give civilians, public officials and media personnel first-hand experience in firefighting ground operations, IAFF Local 3895 President Ian Satterfield said in a press release.

“This program will include four separate drills with one where you are actually suiting up in firefighter protective clothing, donning a self-contained breathing apparatus and actually going inside a real fire to experience first-hand the environment in which fire fighters work,” he said. “Obviously, this will be a controlled situation, but will nevertheless provide an opportunity to see and feel what fire fighters deal with on a daily basis.”

In addition to traditional firefighting, the training also included hands-on experiences in simulated wild land firefighting, a mock Emergency Medical Services (EMS) incident, and automobile extrication.

CCFD Training Captain Matt Merritt said the importance of this annual training is that it exposes those without firefighting experience to the rigors of the job through a series of simulated events.

“It affords people not in the fire service the ability to see what the day in the life of a firefighter is like,” he said. “They can see some of the hazards and procedures we have for different emergencies.”

Four different regional fire agencies, including Carson City, participated in Friday’s Fire Ops 101 training, along with civilians who learned the particulars of the firefighting profession.

IAFF Fire Ops 101 started at 7 a.m. with simulated activities beginning around 9 a.m. Friday morning. The event concluded at around 2 p.m.