Pyro Training

    I attended my first Latir Volunteer Fire Department meeting last week.  People were warm and welcoming.  The meeting took place at the Questa Gym.  The Latir Department buys volunteers a membership as incentive and security to be sure that their volunteers are in good shape.  Apparently the leading cause of death for fire fighters is heart attack after the fire.
    They recommended that people do training like ...Zumba.  Yes, I wish that I had had a camera but 5 burly men and 2 women, the fire chief and myself got into 2 lines and followed a nice woman who wiggled her hips and pointed toward the direction that we were all supposed to follow to hot Latin hits.  Burly hips move the best and most provocatively in gym shorts and with ear to ear smiles.  Other recommendations were Olympic Style weight lifting as its hard work in short intervals.  This is the issue.  A person can have great cardiovascular health but not be used to the rush of adrenaline that going into a burning building can produce.
    I felt welcomed but was struck at how few young people were there.


    This weekend I acted as the media person for the Enchanted Circle Regional Fire Association Structure Fire Training Academy, where 19 different Departments were represented.  The training allowed new reqruits to learn to and experience fighting fires and the conditions that they will be exposed to in an actual fire.  Women and Men were dressed in full gear.  They went into metal storage containers where the temperature was hot enough to bake cookies from 250 to 800 to 900 degrees plus.  They experienced the difference between a hot and smokey room to a ventilated room.  They had to search for and rescue a fire dummy and baby.  They had to lay on the metal ground as the fire rolled over them, along with other scenarios.  
    This was an amazing experience to get a glimpse of what people go through in a fire.  By the last day volunteers seemed to work like a machine, knowing what their jobs were and how to do them.  One woman that I spoke with from the Questa Department explained that she had been with the Dept. for 6 years as an EMT went through the training because they don't have many volunteers and she needs to know what to do if she ever had to go in and to know what her guys go through.  About a dozen of the instructors or people going through the trainings were from Wild Land crews that had been out on the New Mexico fires this summer.
    It looked like so much fun--being aware that it was a controlled environment and the veteran fire fighters would never let anything happen to anyone.  What is amazing is that this was all volunteer.  No one was paid and no one had to pay.  The state Academy is in Socorro, you go for 2 weeks and pay to stay and eat.  Who can do that?  Who can take off work for 2 weeks?  People received top training to help their communities close to home.  What could be better than that.
    One thing that is becoming increasing clear is that Volunteer Departments in this area need more volunteers of different types and ages.  One man told me that at 35 he was the youngest person in his Department.  A group of ladies took care of the fighters after each round in the Rehab area.  One of them explained that she brought food and water to the people going in and out of the fire in a real fire.  There are so many opportunities to volunteer.
    My daughter now thinks that it would be fine for me to join the department.  She is at times interested in hearing more and at times not.  She sometimes comes up with questions and thoughts of what if that are some what disturbing but rational.  We will see what happens...