Week 5 From Sandy Hook

This week Fallon and I were priveledged enough to participate in the structural firefighter refresher. This is an experience that many people will not have because many National Parks do not have thier own fire department only ones to do wildfires. The first couple of days in the refresher we were visited by many guest speakers who talked to us about the different dangers of structural fires and how sometimes fire reacts differently in different scenerios. We also went over the proper prodedures involved in treating HAZMAT materials. The first day of action we were given fire suits to wear which included a jacket, helmet and gloves. It made us feel like part of the fire fighting team and it was really awesome. We were taught how to hook up the hose to the truck and also to a hydrant.

The next couple of days we traveled to Monmouth County Fire Academy and walked through multiple scenrios during the whole day. They had a house that made of metal and fire retardent walls that was lit on fire and everyone had to go into the building and put out the fire and navigate their way through the smoke and work together to achieve the goal. Me and Fallon were in charge of accountability which is keeping track of who goes in and out of the building and making sure that everyone remained safe. Even though the people in the department have been doing this for years people still panic and can run out of oxygen which could cause an emergency. We marked the time in and out of the fire and held the tags of the people who were in and gave them thier tags back when they came out. The last day we did car fires and the proper procedures involved in that. We went over the right way to approach the fires and the dangers that can arise from a simple car fire, such as magnesium fires, and tires and windows exploding.

It was an amazing week that was extremly interesting and a great learning experience that I know many people will not be able to experience during the time in thier parks. Everyone made us feel like an important part of the department and it was a week that went by too fast for us. We hope that everyone is enjoying thier time as much as we are and we will see everyone at leadership  camp.

Peace and Love,

Fallon and Ryan