NISLAND—Butte County Fire Protection Associations held its annual Fire School at the Nisland-Arpan Fire Hall on Saturday, August 17. A total of 35 firefighters from Butte County fire departments participated in a day full of training in various important situations that firemen could face every day. Classes included Rural Mapping, taught by Julia Day of Butte County 911; Electrical Fire Safety, taught by Butte Electric; Electric Vehicle training, taught by Leroy of Rural Fire Training Services; and Propane Tree training, hosted by CBH.
In the Rural Mapping class, firemen learned the intricacies of the system behind rural addresses and how to find a particular place if they are paged to an unfamiliar address. “There’s actually a system to that,” said Stan Lewis, Nisland-Arpan Fire Chief. “It’s not just random. We learned that so it can help us find where we need to go. We don’t always know.”
Butte Electric’s Electrical Fire Safety presentation gave information on the general dangers of underground lines, what to watch for, how to be safe if a car hits one of the boxes, and more.
The Electric Vehicle training course covered everything from how to handle an electric vehicle fire to how to handle an extrication in the case of an accident. “There are special considerations,” Lewis commented. Electric vehicles are built, and therefore operate, different than traditional cars; one example is that the battery is typically located in the frame. These differences mean that firefighters must change their approach in case of any incidents involving EVs.
Finally, the Propane Fire tree simulated a propane tank firing or blowing off. “That was a live fire type of training. The guys liked that. It is pretty exciting,” said Lewis. He explained that this class is also especially relevant in this area, as many people use propane tanks as their main source of heating in the winter.
Firefighters from the Belle Fourche, Newell, Nisland/Arpan, Vale, and Butte Fire Departments ended the day equipped with the knowledge and practice to be able to respond to several incidents that could take place anytime and anywhere. “We need to be prepared for things that maybe we don’t see very often, so that’s where we focus our training,” said Lewis.
Participation in the event is completely voluntary, and the fire chief was happy with this year’s turnout. “The instructors were top notch. We were glad for all of the participation.”
