The Emporia Gazette

February 13, 2012

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Interim Emporia Police Chief Mike Lopez stood Monday morning inside a burning structure, flames blazing above him. With fire hose in hand, he extinguished the fire from above and then attacked the source — a burning bed.

No, Lopez hasn’t changed careers to become a firefighter. He was inside a burn trailer used to train firefighters on techniques when putting out a fire. Several Emporia community leaders left Fire Ops 101 training Tuesday with a greater appreciation of what firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians do in the community.

Fire Ops 101 was sponsored by the Emporia Fire Department. The Firefighters’s Union provided the supplies and a fire helmet (which participants got to keep) for those who attended. The day’s activities ran from 8:30 a.m. to nearly 2:30 p.m. Participants got hands-on training in simulated situations at Fire Station No. 2 during the day.

Jack Taylor, Emporia fire chief, said the primary responsibilities of the fire department is fire protection in the city of Emporia and ambulance service in Lyon County. The department also covers the Kansas Turnpike as far south as Matfield Green, Taylor said.

In 2006, the fire department handled 1,310 fire calls. So far this year, the department is at 1,067. In 2006, 2,341 EMS calls were handled. In 2007, the number so far is 2,015. In between calls, crews still stay busy, Taylor said.

“In addition to emergency response, (crews) do something like fire hydrant and hose testing and standby (at events).”

After a briefing of the day, participants ranging from Emporia city commissioners to the police chief and mayor, were given some hands-on training while suited up in full fire gear. Five stations were set up:

• Fire ladder where participants were given the opportunity to climb the 75-foot ladder;

• Burn trailer where participants could put out a bed fire, stove fire and basement fire;

• Extraction, where participants could use the jaws of life and cutters to cut into a car;

• Search and rescue where participants crawled on their hands and knees and searched for a victim in the dark and pulled them to safety; and

• EMS run where a simulated EMS call was staged so participants could see what a call for a heart attack victim entailed.

Lopez said he was surprised by the physical exertion of the job.

“What is takes to go up a ladder,” Lopez said. “The tools that have to be utilized.”

Lopez said the thermal imaging cameras that crews use to locate victims in buildings was expensive but well worth it. He learned techniques when trying to put out a structure fire in the burn trailer. Inside the burn trailer with full gear including an air tank, participants used a fire hose to put out fires, which were fueled by natural gas. The burn trailer was equipped with safety buttons, which shut the gas off in case something goes wrong.

“I didn’t realize how much equipment they have to use,” Lopez said.

“I greatly appreciate firefighters now,” Lopez told the group following the exercises.

Mayor Julie Johnson said she learned a lot during the day.

“What surprised me the most was how heavy and bulky the uniforms are,” Johnson said, as she was leaving the fire station. “I’m amazed at how they can climb the ladder in all that. It was a great learning experience for me.”