By Sam Skopp
On Saturday Oct. 22, the Santa Monica Fire Training Center, located on Michigan Avenue, hosted an event they titled Fire-Ops 101, to which local and elected officials, as well as media representatives, were invited and led to participate in a number of hands-on firefighting and rescue operations led by the Santa Monica Local Firefighters (IAFF 1109).
“Fire-Ops 101 is a great event that we put on for our local leaders and dignitaries in town for them to experience a day in the life of a firefighter,” said James Altman, who is the Fire Captain with the City of Santa Monica and President of Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109.
Participants were led to operations at three different stations located throughout the training facility. These included a simulated human life-saving scenario, a scenario in which someone would hypothetically have to be saved from within a car, and a simulated fire rescue operation that took place in a central building designed to allow firefighters-in-training to experience similar conditions to a fire they would encounter on the job.
“We have them doing some auto extrication, some live fire training, and they’re running a full ALS call – an advanced life support call. It’s to get them a little bit more experience with what we do on a daily basis. It allows them to have the ability to understand what it is we ask for, and when we ask for it,” said Altman.
Those participating had the chance to behave as if they were actual firefighters, which included operating the “Jaws of Life,” cutting open the hood of a car with a circular saw, climbing a full-length firetruck ladder, and more, all while decked out in the necessary firefighting gear.
For more information about the Santa Monica Local Firefighters, visit smfire.org.
