Mount Gilead, Ohio Mount Gilead Fire Department Training Sessions  Saturday May 17th, 2008 Twenty-eight county firefighters from Mt. Gilead (21), Cardington (4), Marengo (2) and Iberia (1) spent the day in a propane training class sponsored by the Energy Cooperative Bob Herron of NGO Propane, and Consolidated Gas of Mt. Gilead, to train of the characteristics of propane, the dangers and how to handle propane emergencies safely. Classroom session was from 9:00 am until 11:30 am. After lunch at 1:00 pm firefighters practiced with live fires involving a residential propane tank, a typical cooking grill, a loose pipe flange, a broken pipe impinging on a wall and a forklift truck fire. Every firefighter was given the opportunity to participate in extinguishing fires involving these props. The day concluded at 4:30 pm. A total of 182 training hours was logged for the day. The attached pictures show the progression on extinguishing a propane tank fire. This is a typical propane tank found at residences through out the country. The first picture is of a burning tank, next would be water streams just hitting the tank, then firefighters closer and closer and then the tank is extinguished and firefighters have retreated. When working one of these fire you never turn your back on the tank, even when you think it is out!   Tank Fire   Firefighters starting to attack the fire with fire streams   Firefighters moving in to cool the tank and allow a firefighter to access the control valve to shut off the propane   Firefighters almost in position to shut off the flow of propane   The firefighter in the front center of the group reaching in to shut off the valve   The flow of propane has been shut off and the fire extinguished  Training - Saturday May 31st from 0830 hours 21 firefighters attended :Smoke" drill training until 1:30 pm. at 710 North Main Street. The house owned by Dave Decker and Jack Hull was donated for the training. Firefighters practiced search and rescue operations on both floors of the house. Small items such as hose adaptors were placed in upstairs bedrooms and downstairs kitchen. If a firefighter can find an item as small as these adaptors, they can find a small person. A "Mayday" drill was conducted when two firefighters became trapped under ceiling drywall in one of the bedrooms. Two firefighters made the search and rescue and removed the downed firefighters form the room. RIT operations were also conducted, where a firefighter becomes entrapped and is running out of air. A firefighter searches for the firefighter(s) and connects a hose so the firefighter that is running our of air can buddy breath from the rescuers air system. A total of 100.5 hours of training was accumulated for the day. An average of 4 3/4 hours of training CEU's acquired by the firefighters.  Sunday June 1st at 8:30 am 30 firefighters from Mt. Gilead attended a "Live Burn" training session at 710 North Main Street. The firefighters started with one room fires in the upstairs bedrooms. Crews of 4 firefighters went into the structure trying to locate the fire and extinguish it. When firefighters located the fire, they would knock the flames down, switch nozzle firefighters and the let the fire build up again. The fire training was conducted this way until every firefighter had operated the nozzle. Later on the fires were allowed to burn hotter simulating actual residential fire situations. All during the time firefighters were conducting fire suppression operations there were at least 2 safety officers inside the burn area with the firefighters. Later in the day firefighters let the rooms get even hotter for the seasoned veterans to practice. At approximately 2:30/3:00 pm the house was lit for the final time. Firefighters attempted to extinguish the fire when multiple rooms were set on fire, but were unable to do so with the lines already played on the afire. Then it was time to let the house burn.  A total of 389.5 CEU training hours were accumulated by 29 firefighters on both Saturday May 31 and June 1st. The training was valued at over $7,420 if taken at an academy. This was great savings to the community   Mount Gilead Fire Department End of Year Report 2007  Web Design and Marketing by WADSAA Designs, Inc.