Auxiliary Equipment

This week's drill will be dependent upon your individual department's capabilities or your specific engine company.

Make your next quick drill or company drill involve something that you do not use all the time, but every time you do it turns into a disaster!

Train on setting up portable lighting, running electrical cords to electric smoke ejectors, setting up portable pumps, running and using the generator off the vehicle if it can be dismounted etc..

Much apparatus built today has onboard non removable generators and cord reels, so this does not apply to them. A whole lot of America is using older vehicles and portable things that are not always compatible. If you have all the new stuff, make sure you know how to use that also!

All of these issues can be silly and cause unnecessary delays if you do not use them all the time.

Some items that may be considered and trained upon depending upon local circumstances might be as follows:

* Many vehicles have on board generators that are electrically started but in some cases can be removed for use away from the vehicle. Review how this is done and be sure that everyone knows how to manually start and override the electrical starting system.

* If the generator is not connected to the onboard fuels system do you know how long it will run.

*Deploy a quartz flood light or circle D type light to the second floor of your firehouse by running cords over a ladder.

*Do you have enough cords? Are all Plugs common? What devices or techniques do you use to prevent cords from coming unplugged?

* Ask for a smoke ejector to be hung on exhaust using portable power, from a second or third floor window. (Before issuing this order, get popcorn, watch the show!)

* Run a portable pump from a basement area using portable power.

Are all of your cords GFI protected or is there a circuit on your generator?

Do you carry enough cords?

Are your cords heavy duty enough to carry the current we are trying to run?

Review all of these auxiliary type equipment with your troops and include any portable saws or other electrical equipment that you may have.

These may sound very simple but if you are creative in your thinking of what might happen or what you might be asked to do, you can challenge your troops to use the auxiliary equipment more and more effectively.

Always be aware of the safety concerns of electrical shock and hazard particularly is there is lots of water around.