© WCVB doug meehan firefighting training
Every day, firefighters and EMS professionals are out helping save lives. But what is it like to walk the in their boots and what does it take to do their job?
WCVB’s Doug Meehan had the chance to find out.
At first glance, the image of firefighters tending to a charged firehose on the Boston Common would suggest something terrible has happened. But in this case, just the opposite.
From EMS drills, to vehicle extractions and fighting fires, more than a dozen state lawmakers were given the opportunity to suit up and see firsthand what it takes to protect local communities by training with the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts.
“Hopefully they learn a little more of what we do and then they’ll understand when we’re talking about things we need in the fire service,” said Leominster Deputy Fire Chief Craig Long, who has been on the job for 35 years.
On this day, Long’s job was to make sure Meehan and the lawmakers made it through the experience without getting hurt.
From bunker gear to protective hood and breathing apparatus, Meehan was about to enter a very unfamiliar and uncomfortable place.
A tractor-trailer truck rigged to simulate a fire inside a home was his first introduction to the dangerous profession.
“What we’re going to do is real simple. We never know where the fire is, in this case we’re very fortunate because this is a trainer, we know exactly where the fire is, it’s in a back bedroom,” Long said.
Crawling on his knees, Meehan enters the roasting and confined space. Within seconds smoke is everywhere and he’s plunged into complete darkness.
“Fighting back an almost overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia, I continued until I reached the fire. I engaged the line, and the blaze was extinguished. Turning around blindly, I follow the hose back to the exit,” he said.
After regaining his breath, Meehan tried his hand at CPR and the Jaws Of Life.
“With each drill and challenge, anyone who took part couldn’t help but be humbled by a profession that was already held in highest regard,” Meehan said.
“We appreciate all of the elected officials coming. Hopefully, they’ll learn a little bit about what we do,” Long said.
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