New York City Fire Fighters, IAFF and FDNY Put Lawmakers and Media Through Tough Fire Ops Training

August 13, 2011 -- Members of the New York State Senate, State Assembly and New York City Council -- as well as several New York reporters -- donned personal protective equipment and conducted a battery of rigorous fire fighter training exercises during a Fire Ops 101 course August 13 at the FDNY Fire Training Academy on Randall’s Island.

The Fire Ops was hosted by the IAFF, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854, the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 and the Fire Department of New York.

“We developed this program to give those of you who make important decisions or cover what we do in the media with pens or cameras a chance to see, smell and taste what fire fighters do every day,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger told participants before they dressed in bunker gear and worked through four distinct and challenging exercises.

“You’re going to feel the heat and understand what fire can do and how it can change very, very quickly,” Schaitberger said.

New York public officials who participated in Fire Ops included New York City Comptroller John C. Liu, New York State Assembly member Richard Gottfried, New York City Council member Elizabeth Crowley and New York City Council member Jumaane Williams.

“This is a lot of work, physically and mentally. It’s harder than you can imagine without having any first-hand experience," Liu says. "I have a newfound appreciation for the dedication and the sheer risk-taking that our bravest have to go through and what they have to be ready for.”

Others who attended included Michael Holt of United HealthCare, Errol Louis, a reporter with NY1, Peter Haskell, a reporter with WCBS, Joan Gralla, a reporter with Reuters, and Jarrett Murphy, a reporter with New York magazine City Limits.

NY1’s Louis says he is in pretty good shape and was able to hold up to the rigorous pace of the exercises. “But I did not realize that fire fighters do a lot of their rescues in the dark. This was all done in a controlled environment, but when you’re surrounded by fake smoke and you can’t find your teammates, it can get frightening,” he says.

UnitedHealthCare’s Holt, the company’s vice president of public sector and labor, says Fire Ops gave him renewed respect for the job fire fighters do and the need for teamwork.
“It’s hard work. It’s amazing how you absolutely can’t go in alone. You have to go in as a team. You can’t do this alone."

In a grueling series of exercises Fire Ops 101 participants underwent four drill rotations:

• High Rise – Using SCBA and attacking a third floor fire with thermal imaging, victims in room, flake line, stand pipe, position line, charge line and extinguishing a bed fire.
• Down Fire Fighter – High heat, smoke crawl in, find PASS alarm, find fire fighter and using SCBA harness to drag out downed fire fighter.
• Hose Advance/Extinguish fire – Use SCBA, stretch 1 ¾ line, on knees, push line in and extinguish with hand nozzle.
• Subway rescue – Victim prepackaged, crawl in, remove victim, distressed family and learn mass extraction.