Longboat fire department gets refresher course on search and rescue

The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department dove back into the fundamentals of search and rescue during a special training Thursday at a two-story house on the 6400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive that is scheduled for demolition.

“(The training) is just a reminder of a standard technique that is used worldwide,” training captain John Elwood said. “As you look at all the new construction for single-family residences, they’re two stories. That is becoming more common for us. It’s to reacclimate people to using this skill.” 

Longboat Key averages about four to five fires per year, Elwood said. 

“This helps to reinforce that (knowledge) because you have a tendency to use prime recognition decision-making, to go off what you did the last time. Hopefully, by doing this with some repetition, people will be able to draw from that and it will become more of an instinct.”

The training followed a technique called VEIS. 

• Ventilate the atmosphere
• Enter the area
• Isolate, meaning to keep doors closed to ensure fire is unable to get into the room
• Search

Each firefighter at Thursday’s training followed the same basic path, starting with a ladder climb to the second-floor balcony of the house. Once on the balcony, a shield was placed over the trainee's mask to simulate the look of a smoky room. The reduced visibility forced firefighters to use their tools to detect and avoid obstacles in the house, which included a ladder, decorative pillows and a bed frame. 

Firefighters then climbed through the second-story window and crawled through the house, making sure to stay close to the walls.

“Whether you go left or right, you always maintain orientation in the building, so that way if you have to get out, you know which way is out,” Elwood said. 

At the first door, the training firefighter opened it and hooked one foot on the door jamb to avoid becoming disoriented.

After crawling back into the room, the door had to be closed and the firefighters made their way to the next door to repeat the process. They had to make their way back to the first door before the training was deemed complete.

Some firefighters conducted their training earlier in the week, so the department could ensure others were available should an emergency occur. 

The last time the department trained at a house scheduled for demolition was right before Hurricane Ian hit the area. During that training, firefighters practiced breaking hurricane-resistant windows, which are challenging to break. 

Without homes made available for use by the department, training has to take place off the Key because the town does not have its own training facility. If members of the department are training outside Longboat, personnel from Manatee County or Sarasota County help cover the area.

When a building is scheduled for demolition, the fire marshal’s office is notified of the permit. From that point, the department may contact the homeowner about using the space for training. More commonly, homeowners contact the department about a space’s availability.

“When we have the opportunity to use a real building it adds to the realism,” Elwood said. “We’re using the type of floor plans and construction that we do on Longboat Key. It makes it easier for us in the event there is an emergency, we can stop what we are doing and respond to the call.”