Guatemala 2013: Day 4
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
For the first full day of training, all of the instructors were pleased with how the day went. We were able to train for longer since we did not have a ceremony in which to participate and the students were very appreciative of the training they received.
The Helicopter Training group was able to go up and complete the full exercise today with a pilot from the Guatemalan Air Force. The Raises and Lowers group practiced in one of the hangars as well as at the water tower. The firefighters worked in a smoked-up room and also learned the Denver Drill, an exercise derived from a tragedy years ago in which a firefighter became trapped in a hallway and died as a result. Several of the men commented afterward on the usefulness of the technique and how they had never seen it before. The Vehicle Extrication class had a ball with Res-Q-Jacks and saws, taking apart cars with a voracious enthusiasm. The High Lines class rigged a horizontal system with a mechanical advantage attached and demonstrated techniques specifically developed to use a minimum of hardware while still maintaining safety.
All of the officials, instructors, rescate and bomberos involved are very happy with how the training has gone so far. Tomorrow promises more in the way of training as well as a meeting with the President of the country!
