Classes

BUILDINGS ON FIRE – TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

Christopher Naum (Command Institute, Center for Fireground Leadership)

This program goes beyond the cursory discussions of “main street” construction and occupancies, but expands and explores the complexities of this heritage and legacy construction system and their renovations, adaptive reuse, make-overs and fireground operations. Focusing on Building Construction and Tactical Fireground Considerations, Key Building Anatomy features, design systems and building size-up considerations, will be explored on this often-neglected building system. Collapse zone identification and management with integrated case studies and discussion on adaptive use, integrated engineering components and how to effectively Size-up and Read the Building and Safely operate at building fires of ordinary (type III) and heavy timber (type IV) construction. This is a “hands-on” field walking lecture. A suggested class highlight consisting of a three-hour Reading the Buildings walking tour of buildings in select downtown Main Street area of Wichita learning first-hand about construction features, how to read a building and tactical considerations. This highly interactive program identifies integral functions impacting First-Due tactical decision-making and firefighting. This class is geared towards Company and Command Officers; however, all ranks and experience levels will benefit from this program.

Requirements: N/A

THE CAN MAN

Jess Rodzinka (Charlottesville Fire)

The water can is the most underutilized tool on the fire apparatus. We carry them on everything: engine; truck companies; medic ambulances. However, we were shown the true capability of the 2.4-gallon water can. This class will go through a brief lecture to discuss the water can and search techniques with can. Then head to the hands-on portion where we will demonstrate the effectiveness of the water can. The students will then proceed to go through several rotations of scenarios to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform in the “Can position.”

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

FIRE FLOOR FORCIBLE ENTRY

Daniel MacAuley (Boston Fire) / Matthew Paglione (FDNY)

This class will start with the fundamentals of conventional forcible entry and progress the students to forcing doors in a restricted space under a smoke condition requiring adaptive tool manipulation and communication. After gaining entry students will complete a primary search breaking the training scar that the work is done once FE is complete.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

REPORTED VICTIMS TRAPPED

Daniel Nelms & Trey Nelms (Nashville Fire)

IMPORTANT: This class takes place in Hutchinson, approximately 45 minutes north of Wichita. Students will need to arrange transportation if staying in Wichita.

The actions of first due companies at a structural fire can make or break an incident. Life safety concerns should always be our priority when first due fire ground tactics are being initiated. Until the structure is searched, there is no certainty that civilians aren’t present. Making split second decisions and performing critical tasks with low staffing could make the difference between life or death. This requires quick actions upon arrival to locate and eventually remove civilians from the structure. Tasks covered include forcible entry, hoseline placement to protect the search, VES, aggressive primary search, booster back-up, and searching off the attack line. Participants will rotate through these skill stations, then spend the last part of class putting learned skills to work in real time scenarios under live fire and smoke conditions.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

HEAVY EXTRICATION ESSENTIALS

Josh Pearcy (Oklahoma City Fire)

This course builds upon basic auto extrication techniques. This course focuses on stabilizing, lifting, and extricating with heavy vehicles like buses, semi-tractor trailers, dump trucks, and other various heavy equipment. Students will go through a variety of scenarios under the guidance of an Instructor on sizing-up, stabilizing, and lifting heavy vehicles in rescue scenarios.

Requirements: Turnout Gear or Extrication Gear, Gloves, Helmet, Eye Protection

MASTERING YOUR CRAFT

Nick White, Dan Mishler, Cameron Meier, Seth Glaves, 316 Fire Instructors

IMPORTANT: This class takes place in Hutchinson, approximately 45 minutes north of Wichita. Students will need to arrange transportation if staying in Wichita.

This is a live fire class designed for the firefighter or officer who loves the job and wants to get better at their skills under realistic conditions. This is a fast-paced class and students need to come ready to work and perform their skills in real heat and smoke. This class will be held at an offsite location and will use Conex boxes at the Hutchinson Fire Department training grounds. The class will cover can search, VES, hoarder home fire, hoarder home search, basement fire attack and basement fire search.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

THE MAYDAY: Techniques for Victim Movement and Rescue

Cody Brdicko (Midwest Misfits Training LLC / Omaha Fire)

Real world data suggests everyone on the fireground is the RIT team. With 89% of successful rescues coming from inside the structure, data suggests those closest to a down firefighter are the ones performing the rescue. A down firefighter has under 5-minutes to survive an IDLH environment without air. This intensive hands-on class will provide new techniques for victim movement and rescue with drags, carries, and a rescue device to remove a down firefighter in under that 5-minute mark.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

RESIDENTIAL ENGINE & TRUCK OPERATIONS (Separate Classes)

Niemann, Cox, Misek, Forbes, Evans (Wichita FD), Hall (St Paul Fire), Budd (Ocean City FD), Tegtmeier (FDNY), Holt (Oletha)

We are excited to offer a two day Engine and Truck live burn class at the 2023 Wichita HOT (Choose the Engine or the Truck track during registration, each class runs 2 days.) On the Engine side Efficiency is the name of the game so the class will focus on getting the first line in place and getting down that long hot hallway and knocking out the fire. On the Truck side efficiency is also the key as the essential truck functions have to be completed in concert with the engine crew to ensure the line gets in place and victims are removed. On Saturday following the Keynote the Engine crews will work on hose line stretches and nozzle work, the truck crews will work on forcible entry, pitched roof ventilation and VES style searches. Both Engine and Truck will also receive two sessions of live fire behavior. On day two the goal is to run through nine live burns so each student on Engine and each student on Truck will participate in all positions receiving three fires each. As shown in the video crews will be “dispatched” from quarters, bunk out and respond to the fire location. The Engine crew will stretch on the fire as the Truck crew forces the door for them, heads to the roof to cut the vent and completes a search as the Engine makes the fire room knocking down the fire.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

RESIDENTIAL SEARCH & SIZEUP

Stephen Runyan (Wichita Fire) & Georgia Smoke Diver Cadre

Residential Search and Size Up class is an 8 hour hands on training program that covers the primary functions of the engine and truck company’s roles in sizing up and searching a residential structure. Instructors cover in detail the techniques used to size up a structure for the purpose of searching in the most probable victim locations as well as how to complete a traditional primary oriented search as a member of both the truck and engine crew, vent enter and search, victim removal via ground ladders and the use of thermal imaging in search. Students will receive instruction and demonstrations in techniques as well as participate in walk through drills before performing skills real time. Students will also learn strategies to isolate the fire and control ventilation to ensure a successful search, and the differences in timing of primary, secondary and recovery searches. This class will require students to perform the various searches and remove victims while wearing full firefighter PPE and SCBA while under simulated conditions (possibly live fire if appropriate acquired structure).

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended

TRUCK COMPANY OPERATIONS

Scott Kleinschmidt (Wichita Fire)

IMPORTANT: This class takes place in Derby, approximately 10 minutes south of Wichita. Students will need to arrange transportation if staying in Wichita.

This 8 hour HOT class will cover everyday tasks associated with these Special Service units from Fire Ground Search, Ventilation, and Forcible Entry to Vehicle Extrication/Stabilization and other unique situations these companies may found themselves in.  Experienced Truck and Rescue Firemen will share their experience and industry best practices as it pertains to these types of runs.

Requirements: FULL PPE, Turnout Gear, SCBA, Spare Bottle Recommended