For immediate release
January 18, 2018
Fire Fighters to Receive Mayday Training and Survival Skills
Burnaby BC – BC Professional Fire Fighters are set to receive Fire Ground Survival (FGS) training from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), a program designed to provide consistent Mayday operations throughout the fire service and to increase fire fighter survivability when the unpredictable happens.
Fire fighter fatality data from the U.S. Fire Administration show that fire fighters becoming trapped or disoriented are major factors in structural fire ground fatalities. And while no similar office in Canada exists to track this data, the belief among fire fighters on the ground is strikingly similar. These incidents in which fire fighters have lost their lives have a consistent theme – inadequate situational awareness put them at risk.
“This training will equip fire fighters with the knowledge and skill set of survival techniques for making life-saving decisions under extremely stressful situations,” states Michael Hurley IAFF 6th District Vice President.
The IAFF Fire Ground Survival training applies lessons learned from investigations conducted by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of fire fighter fatality incidents. The four-day intensive training will cross-train fire fighters to become instructors who can then provide these fire ground survival skills to all the department’s fire fighters.
Funded by a grant from the Assistance to Fire Fighters (AFG) grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has now made available in Canada the training – which uses props that simulate potential fire ground scenarios – which teaches fire fighters to perform potentially lifesaving actions if they ever face a situation in which they become lost, disoriented, injured, trapped or low on air.
BCPFFA President Gord Ditchburn says, “We are thankful for the IAFF providing the FGS program. This training reduces fire fighter injuries or fatalities and will help ensure that we fire fighters go home to their families at the end of the day.”
Interested Media can witness the FGS training on January 24th, 2018 anytime between 10am to 3pm at FireHall #7 - 3151 Gilmore Diversion, Burnaby, BC V5G 1E8. For background information visit the Fire Ground Survival Website. Media Contacts: BCPFFA President Gord Ditchburn (604) 916-7110 or IAFF 6th District Vice-President Michael Hurley (604) 219-4966