Thursday, 4 May 2023

Fire Ops 101

Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:41): Last week I had the pleasure of participating in Fire Rescue Victoria’s Fire Ops 101 training, along with my colleague Mrs Tyrrell, at the world-class Craigieburn training centre. I was incredibly excited to walk in the boots of a firefighter for a day. I have the utmost respect for our frontline workers, especially those who provide life-saving care and services in high-risk environments. Getting to experience just a fraction of what these brave individuals do daily has elevated them in my mind to hero status.

On the day I was kitted out in full firefighting gear, including breathing apparatus and tank, boots, overalls, jacket and gloves. It was heavy and restrictive. Some of the activities we participated in were extinguishing a fire at a petrol station; responding to a chemical spill with hazmat response; first respondence on a scene to resuscitate someone who was unconscious; a jaws-of-life rescue at a car crash scene; experience being in a smoke-filled train carriage with zero visibility; a gas station explosion; and a heat room with temperatures that reached over 400 degrees, which gave us a sense of how intense it is to be in a burning building.

I am incredibly grateful for this experience and would like to make a special mention of my guy Troy for the day, Ed Starinskas and Sharon Kewley. My colleagues, I encourage you all to give Fire Ops 101 training a go.