Drills in Dayton have special meaning for firefighters

Four men crept along in the pitch-black hallway, breathing from air tanks, feeling along the walls and climbing over debris as they worked their way toward their fallen comrade.

The four - all Silver City Volunteer firefighters, were decked out in full regalia as they listened for the alarm directing them to the down firefighter.

It took 15 minutes of crawling along, breaking down doors and nearly running out of air for them to finally find what they were looking for - Rescue Randy. The firefighters drag him triumphantly out of the building.

The rescue was a training exercise offered by the Central Lyon County Fire District at the now-closed Dayton Parkview Adult Residence on Thursday. Rescue Randy is a 160-pound dummy outfitted with fire equipment.

Though the crisis was simulated and the heat and smoke were imaginary, the 15 firefighters took it very seriously.

"I liked it because it was so realistic," said Kip Allander, Silver City Volunteer Fire Chief. "It was a good drill."

Dayton Parkview owner Daniel C. Fry of Zephyr Cove has donated the use of the building for the district's training operations through the end of March. After that, the building will be demolished.

Bob Kielty, Central Lyon County Fire District training officer, called the donation invaluable.

"This is very unique for us. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do this kind of training," he said, adding that the exercises were designed to train firefighters in the emergency rescue of one of their own.

Kielty made the drills as realistic as possible, but stopped using real fire after neighbors of the nursing home complained that smoke was getting in their homes. Now the drills consist of simulated rescues.

The drills were made up of three emergency situations: rapid intervention team, or rit, Nance drills and Denver drills. Paid and volunteer firefighters from the Silver City, Mound House, Mark Twain, Dayton Valley and Sutro stations were on hand for the training.

RIT consists of a team of two or firefighters rescuing a comrade trapped in a building.

"They will follow their hoses," he said. "That's how they're trained. They will then follow the walls. If they get in trouble they follow the hoses back out, because they know the hose will lead to the truck."

Nance, or subfloor drills, show how to rescue a firefighter through a hole in the ceiling. Kielty said it was named after a firefighter in San Antonio who fell through a floor during a fire and burned to death because fellow firefighters didn't know how to get him out of the hole. The teams use tables or each other to stand on, then pulls hoses up through the ceiling opening and lifts the firefighter out.

"This drill is all about teamwork," Kielty said. "What we're doing is team-building. They're only allowed to use each thing one time."

The Denver drill, named after a firefighter was killed in Denver, trains firefighters to pull an injured firefighter through a window to safety.

For each drill, Rescue Randy was used, rather than another firefighter, in order to prevent training injuries, Kielty said.

After each exercise, the group of firefighters sat in a circle and discussed what went well and what did not.

The effectiveness of the training and the briefing afterward showed in the difference in how long each team took to extract Rescue Randy. The Silver City team - first inside the building - took 18 minutes to find Rescue Randy and drag him out of the building. They were followed by the Mark Twain team, which extricated Rescue Randy in 10 minutes and then the Sutro team, which got Randy out in seven.

On Wednesday, Stagecoach and Silver Springs volunteer firefighters will undergo the same training.

By the end of January, East Fork, Mason Valley, Fernley, Storey County and Carson City firefighters had participated in the training exercises. Kielty said the Carson City rookie academy trained for a week at Dayton Parkview.

Kielty said with the continuing growth in Lyon County underscored the importance of this kind of training.

"Right now, in Dayton, there are four developments with 10,000 homes," he said. "If we ever have someone in trouble, we'll know what to do."

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.

Drills

RIT: rapid intervention training

This drill is designed to rescue a firefighter trapped in a building.

Nance drill: subfloor rescue

This drill shows how to rescue a firefighter who has fallen through the floor.

Denver drill: window rescue

This drill shows how to rescue an injured firefighter through a window.