KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Kaufman County played host to a regional firefighter training course over the weekend.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Kaufman County played host to a regional firefighter training course over the weekend.
The three-day, 20-hour course, Vehicle Rescuer Level 1, was hosted by the Kaufman County Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association, taught by Advanced Rescue Systems, and accredited through Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX).
Nearly 50 firefighters from Mabank, Kemp, Gun Barrel City, Ables Springs, Terrell, College Mound, Forney, and the Commerce Emergency Corps (E-Corps) converged on the Tri-County Training Field in Mabank, Texas, on Friday for classroom lectures and Saturday and Sunday for hands-on training.
Firefighters were instructed on common hazards involving passenger vehicle collisions, techniques and safety procedures, terminology, vehicle stabilization, cribbing, and patient access, according to Kaufman County Fire Marshal Randy Richards.
Richards says the association plans to host the Vehicle Rescuer Level II course in the future. That course focuses on heavy equipment such as 18-wheelers, tankers, tractors, and buses.
Late Saturday and into Sunday, firefighters trained on air tools, hydraulic tools, and newer battery-operated tools as they performed extrication maneuvers on several vehicles donated by area wrecking services — Harvey’s Exxon, Sunshine, PAAC, Fuller’s, and Teague Chevrolet.
Sunday, firefighters were also instructed on the hazards presented by some safety features in newer model vehicles, hybrids, and high-voltage electric vehicles. A hybrid Toyota Prius was one of the many vehicles donated for training.
Richards says the safety features in newer model cars provide more protection for passengers but often times present hazards for firefighters.
“We need to keep up with the technology in these vehicles to keep our firefighters safe,” he said.
The training session is the third major training course hosted by the Kaufman County Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association which is in its second year of operation. Association Training Committee Chair Josh Phillips, who is also chief of the College Mound Fire Department, says the association also hosts localized trainings at area fire departments throughout Kaufman County.
The association received partial funding this year, for the first time, from the Kaufman County Commissioners’ Court for training purposes. Richards says one of the many training goals is to set standardized practices for which training is conducted with Kaufman County-area fire departments who often call upon each other for mutual aid.
TEEX and its instructors train around 175,000 firefighters a year at some 60-70 training schools across the state and internationally, according to Region 8 Training Manager Kenneth King.
