Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...March 1, 2011

Last night we learned how to use a Pak-Tracker. The purpose of a Pak-Tracker is to find a firefighter who is down in a structure. What I learned is that you take the device and move slowly (hard for me to do with my ADHD LOL) in a half circle. When the number starts to rise you take a few steps in that direction and then do it again. It took me awhile to get the hang of it, but I did. I was really surprised that the Pak-Tracker can also search through floors (up and down).

We also had some time with the thermal imaging camera. I've used this before, but never before in a training situation. What I took away from my drill was that it doesn't matter if someone moved from one position to another. You can see the heat spot (or whatever my lieutenant called it) showing someone had been there. I also saw how the meter works, and how a child can look through the lens of a camera.

The drill was a huge success...I'm thinking that the young crowd really likes the techi stuff. Or, maybe it was the three great instructors, who knows?