Many people have already had it! The staging training from FireWare. A nice basic training to learn realistic staging. With a level 1 training you get the basics: your flame and smoke appearance is correct. You are then perfectly capable of keeping one fire engine busy. But what if you want to go the extra mile?
Learning staging in practice
Within Safety Region Fryslân there is a lot of attention for realistic staging. Yet the Training department wants to go even further. Therefore it was decided to combine a level 3 training with two actual platoon exercises. It turned out to be a successful formula: Training department was able to learn a lot about large-scale realistic staging, while the fire stations were able to run a really good exercise with a lot of learning and instructional objectives.
It starts with preparation
After the learning and instructional objectives were inventoried, it was time for the first training day. During this day, the location was visited, the scenario was fine-tuned and the equipment lists were prepared. Using PowerPoint and the Safety Library, preparatory drawings were made. Drawings that ultimately ensured that on the practice days themselves, work can be done much faster and more efficiently!
A complete dynamic scenario
The scenario is a complex fire deployment in a catering establishment in Lemmer. The exercise is completely dynamic: depending on the deployment, escalations and de-escalations can take place. The complete operation takes place through an Incident Server / Incident Client combination. This allows the exercise leader to control the complete simulation with one tablet. The exercise leader also receives live images on his tablet. It’s very convenient to see what is happening inside.
Complex building
The fire started behind a bar in the nightclub part of the building. The fire spread in different ways: both to a higher floor and to adjacent properties. The catering establishment is located in the historic center of Lemmer. Many narrow streets, making it extremely difficult to form a picture.
As much as possible use of propriety materials
Naturally, during the training and exercises, the Safety Region's own exercise materials were used as much as possible. Only a few materials specific to a simulation of this magnitude came from FireWare's rental fleet. Pretty practical and educational!
Setting up, running and training at the same time
During the second training day, the simulation was actually built by the Safety Region's Training department. The team was supported by a FireWare coach. From power supply to controls, from flame appearance to smoke appearance: all details were thought through in order to achieve the best possible staging.
The exercise itself was also run by Training department. And the best part: everyone was looking at the same picture. There was no discussion at all about the appearance! Not with any participant in the exercise.
Good staging is top sport
After two exercises, the staging was also evaluated by Training department and the FireWare coach. Everyone looked back on a successful project. All goals were amply achieved. But of course the bar can be raised even higher: everyone now knows where his or her points for improvement lie in order to be able to stage better and more realistic. Because: good staging really is top sport.
(Photos provided by Safety Region Fryslân - Peter van den Brandt)
Are you also interested?
Would you like to be accompanied during a major exercise? Or follow a staging training? Or maybe even have a staging set by the simulation team of FireWare?
Feel free to contact us!
