"Huntley Fire Protection District Capt. Scott Ravagnie, right, and myself prepare to begin a training session in a self contained breathing apparatus confidence trailer outside the No. 2 station in Huntley, Feb. 13, 2009. Firefighters follow a hose through the non-toxic smoke filled trailer around obstacles to gain experience and prepare for the unexpected while in a burning building."
This afternoon I got to experience a little bit of what the brave men and women who put out fires for a living go through. I was covering an assignment that my roommate Brett is writing about how firefighters train and prepare themselves for the difficult situations that they face.
A few local departments share a semi-truck trailer that has been turned into a strategic maze of obstacles hidden inside extremely tight crawling spaces. The story isn't going to run for a while so I unfortunately I can't post any of the images from the exercise yet.
The trailer has been constructed into three levels out of 2x4's and sheets of plywood. There is a main hallway down the middle that essentially divides the trailer into six compartmentalized crawling spaces. Each of those are unique and outfitted with different obstacles such as tangled wire, slides, ladders, zig-zag hallways, ect. They shut the doors and fill the entire trailer with non-toxic smoke very similar to what comes out of a fog machine that you can buy at home depot.
The guys who were doing the training got called to two emergencies before they were able to get started. While they were gone the Captain invited me to get a first hand experience by getting suited up and navigating the trailer with him. I couldn't pass up on a unique opportunity to see what they go through to save lives. I'm not going to lie, I definitely felt like a different person when I put that uniform on.
Boy-oh-boy was I in for one tough experience. I climbed my way into the trailer with Captain Ravagnie behind me telling me what I should be doing. "Keep your hand on the hose at all times," he reminded me. Granted I had seen the inside of the trailer before I began the exercise, it was totally different in complete darkness with 40+ pounds of gear on me. Having the helmet and air tank on my back really made things thougher than I thought they would be. The crawl spaces were extremely tight and awkward to maneuver even for a 150lb skinny kid like myself. I BARELY fit through some of the holes and zig-zag turns. Captain Ravagnie later told me that some of the firefighters have to take off their pack and hold it in their hands in order to make their way past a certain obstacle.
After what seemed like some of the most difficult 12 or so minutes of my life I made it through to daylight. I can tell you that I now have a new found respect for these gentleman and ladies who risk their lives for others. I didn't have the air-mask on (per department safety regulations) and it was probably only 30 degrees outside. I can't imagine going through there in the summer time or during an actual fire.
A few minutes after I finished I grabbed my camera gear and went back inside to photograph three of the firefighters training inside the trailer. From a photographic standpoint it might of been just as difficult as the exercise. If you have ever tried to photograph a black cave filled with smoke then you know what I'm talking about. My wizards started to act up for some reason so I had to resort to bouncing on-camera flash. White smoke and flash don't play nice with each other very well so it was quite a task to make something out of it.
I experienced something that very few people get the chance to do and although it was insanely difficult it is something that I will never forget. Special thanks to Captain Scott Ravagnie and the guys from Huntley No. 2 for letting me into their world for a few hours.
-JCE
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