The Smithtown Fire Department continued to drill at an empty home on Summerset.
On Tuesday, November 18th an evening drill was held on the property. Under the command of Second Assistant Chief John Hansen, firefighters and officers did a Rapid Intervention Team drill. The drill concentrated on firefighter rescue.
Photos by Fred Friedman.
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Ex-Captain of Rescue 9, Kevin Fitzpatrick, was recently taking photos at the Suffolk County Fire Academy, and sent us these great shots of the Smithtown Fire Department working a car fire drill.
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This past week Smithtown Fire Department members participated in training both in house and on the fire ground at the Academy in Yaphank.
At the Main House this past Monday, Charles Duffy Sr. from Engine Company 5 used his vast expertise in the elevator industry to show a film and lecture about elevator emergencies.
On Wednesday evening a hands on trainings took place at Yaphank. Firefighters participated in a Class A drill. A Class A drill simulates the situations that firefighter would face during a house fire.
Engine Companies 4 and 5 held a structural fire drill at Smithtown’s Mankuski Park on Monday, July 28th. Fire attack, hose and search and rescue procedures were reviewed and practiced.
Hook and Ladder Company 7 ran a ladder operations drill at Smithtown’s Mankuski Park on Monday, July 28th. Ladder and tower ladder procedures were reviewed and practiced during the drill.
The last hands on drill for the current Probationary School class centered on heavy rescue. The tools used for heavy rescue and located on Rescue 4-2-9 were reviewed. Skills were taught using an actual car.
On Sunday, June 29th Smithtown Fire Department’s Probationary Fire School reviewed search and rescue procedures and techniques. After a classroom lecture probationary firefighters did hands on training at the Department’s maze facility located on Percy Street.
Firefighters, working in pairs of two with masks blacked out, searched a basement maze that features many of the obstacles and situations that would be found in a working fire.
On Sunday, June 22 Smithtown Fire Department’s Probationary Fire School drill concentrated on ventilation. A classroom lecture reviewed fire behavior and various forms of building ventilation.
The hands on portion of the class reviewed the tool on the Hook and Ladder (4-2-7), and a drill on the use and operation of a variety of saws.
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The second Suffolk County Fire Academy drill of the season took place in Yaphank on Friday evening, June 6th. Firefighters with three years of experience or less were on hand to do a Smokehouse drill.
The Smokehouse is a multi leveled structure that is filled with smoke and fire to allow firefighters the opportunity to execute building searches in a hostile environment.
Each spring and summer the Smithtown Fire Department visits the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank for field training. The first training of the season took place on Tuesday evening May 6th.
The session covered LP Gas Emergencies. The drill teaches firefighters what to do in the event of a propane gas leak, which could result from a leak of a propane tanker, storage facility or barbeque.
Extinguishment considerations along with various strategies and tactics were presented both in the classroom as well as on the Academy’s fireground.
All new firefighters in the Department must complete a 16 session in-house fire school during their first year of service as a probationary member. The majority of sessions are held on Sunday mornings. At the conclusion of the 16 weeks of comprehensive instruction a final written and hands on exam is given.
In addition to in-house fire school all probationary members must attend class at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank. County training is conducted to provide probationary members with the skills needed to receive the certification of Firefighter I.
At Each Department class, probationary firefighters review the hands on operations of SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) units.
Classroom training is an integral part of each session.
Hands on skill training is applied from lessons learned in the classroom.
The Smithtown Fire Department offers defensive driving classes to firefighters, their families and members of the community.
Any Department member who is qualified to drive fire or ambulance apparatus must take defensive driving on a continual basis.
In the photo, Allan Havranek, Captain of Engine Company 3 teaches a class on April 30th. Havranek is certified by the State of New York to teach the course.
The Town of Smithtown operates a firefighter hands on training center at Mankuski Park. The grounds are located behind the Senior Citizens Center on Route 25.
On Monday night Engine Company 3 held a ladder drill at the site. In addition to this drill, Companies 1 and 4 held a vehicle heavy rescue drill at Company 4 headquarters.
Several Mondays a month Company training takes place. On March 24, 2008 Engine Company 3 headed to St. Catherine of Siena for a sprinkler and standpipe drill.
Under the direction of Lieutenant Nick Kafalos the Company was briefed about sprinkler operations at the Medical Center and the standpipe system.
St. Catherine, as a four story facility, is the only complex of buildings in the District to use standpipes.
A standpipe system is a plumbing network which allows large volumes of water to be brought to any floor of a building to supply firefighters’ hose lines. The pipes for this can be observed inside the stairwells of the building.The standpipe extends from the lowest level of the building to the roof, with outlets at each level. If a fire occurs, the fire department will connect hose at the safest point closest to the fire.
