The Brant County Fire Department conducted its annual fire training drill, allowing firefighters to hone their skills in a realistic yet controlled environment.
Flames were seen coming from a two-story donated house on Bethel Road outside of Brantford.
Mark Stouffer, Training Officer for the Brant County Fire Department says, “We did two different fires, one was to simulate a kitchen fire and the other one was to simulate a bedroom fire.”
Stouffer says “The improvements in home fire safety, we actually have fewer fires to deal with which is a good thing for the public but on the other hand because we have fewer fires to deal with we get less practice and exposure.”
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Deputy Chief Brent Cain says firefighters typically arrive during the middle of a fire. Saturday’s training gave firefighters insight into what happens before they arrive.
“I would much rather in a controlled environment a firefighter experience new scenarios as opposed to seeing it for the first time in an emergency environment,” says Stouffer.
While the training included how to put out fires, health and wellness were also a top priority.
“In the past, in the movies, we always see shiny red fire trucks and the firefighters themselves are dirty and black like it’s a badge of honor and we worked very hard to change that culture. The continued exposure to the effects of fighting fire can cause cancer.”
Stouffer says “technology that we have and the equipment, the personal protective equipment is a lot better than what it was 20 years ago so you’ll see fewer injuries with firefighters.”
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