The training towers near the Carbon County Fairgrounds were a few degrees hotter on Saturday afternoon as special trailers and equipment were brought in for a training exercise.
Firefighters from both Carbon and Emery counties gathered on-site for the training, which was conducted on a volunteer basis and completed in their free time. The training, sponsored by the Price City Fire Department and featuring instructors and props from the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy, was in conjunction with the full 200-hour training that the firefighters must complete.
The full training includes all of the classroom and hands-on skills that are required to take the state certification examinations and include firefighting, rescue, hazardous material response, wild land firefighting and basic EMS skills.
Volunteer firefighters are required to complete the same training that is expected of career firefighters in order to receive basic fire and rescue certifications. Saturday’s particular training involved live fire exercises that had instructors teaching the firefighters to recognize dangerous fire behavior and experience the early signs of a flashover, which is an event where all the combustibles in a room or building ignite nearly instantaneously.
When said instance occurs, temperatures of over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit are produced and is very deadly for firefighters. While around 77 percent of the nation’s firefighters are volunteer, both Carbon and Emery counties are struggling to fill their rosters with qualified individuals.
“As the Price City Fire Chief, I would like to take an opportunity to thank all of the businesses in Carbon and Emery counties, which allow their employee firefighters to respond to emergencies. Without their support, we wouldn’t have sufficient firefighters to adequately protect our communities,” Paul Bedont said. “If you feel you have what it takes to be a firefighter and are willing to volunteer your time and talents, contact your local fire department. There is no greater satisfaction than being trained and capable of helping someone else in their time of need.”
