Salt Lake City Local Holds Successful Fire Ops  

April 8, 2008 – When the City’s elected leadership turned over following the November 2007 elections, Salt Lake City, UT Local 1645 invited the new mayor and city council members to participate in a Fire Ops 101 event.

Every state legislator and senator serving the Salt Lake City area was invited as well, along with any City administration official with decision-making authority over the fire department.With the support and blessing of Fire Chief Dennis McKone and the fire department administration, Salt Lake City Local 1645 held its first Fire Ops 101.

On March 29, 20 VIPs spent the first part of the day observing various scenarios that demonstrate the importance of four-person staffing. “We showed them a medical scene, followed by roof operations, extrication and a car fire to instill the safety and efficiency of a fully staffed rig,” says Local 1645 President Jack Tidrow.

Following a hardy firehouse meal, participants were suited up and introduced to the premier training facility in the state of Utah where they experienced what it’s like to fight a car fire, perform a search and rescue off an aerial ladder, tear a car apart using extrication tools and fight a room fire with a rollover down a hallway. “When they left, they were feeling the stresses that fire fighters feel in any given shift,” says Tidrow.

The event was a resounding success, with participants commenting that they had no real idea what fire fighters go through to do their jobs every day, and promised that city and state officials would work together to get Salt Lake City fire fighters what they need to perform their jobs safely and effectively.

“The real success was the involvement of Local 1645 members,” notes Tidrow. “Our more than 50 union brothers and sisters who came and helped were the stars of the show. These men and women left such an impression that city officials were making plans to visit their stations on the spot. The members also had a lot of fun, and we will all benefit from it.

Local 1645 also thanked the IAFF for making it easier to plan and implement the successful event. “The online downloads were perfect and helped us head off several problems. It looked like we had done this every year instead of it being our first one,” notes Tidrow.

For more information on how to plan and implement a Fire Ops 101 event, click here.