New Training Academy Nearing Completion

The new Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA) is nearing completion. As you can see in the photo album below, carpet is going down for administrative suites, painting is being done, bathrooms are getting finalized, ceiling tiles are going up and safety rails and staircase rails are installed.

Especially impressive when you take a peek back at our earlier updates with photos:

New Public Safety Training Academy Campus Progress

More Progress At The New Public Safety Training Academy Campus

Progress Continues At The New Public Safety Training Academy Campus

Move in is tentatively scheduled for sometime late August or early September. Fall Semester training will be conducted at the new PSTA along with our new recruit class that is expected to start in December.

Photos provided by Assistant Chief (ret) Mike Clemens.

Progress Continues At The New Public Safety Training Academy Campus

Last week, we provided a little pictorial update of progress at the new Public Safety Training Academy. As you can imagine, since then, more progress has been made.

Below you will find a few photos with updates via our point person on the project Assistant Chief (ret) Mike Clemens.

Concrete apron to Apparatus bays today on the Charlie side.

Command Development Training Center getting window glass.

Retaining wall at the fuel depot.

Skid pan.

Gable roof on the High Bay townhouse. Concrete and wood.

Asphalt road to the fuel depot.

Curbing at cityscape.

Roof area of the city scape in the high-bay.

A Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) Training Evolution

By: Lt. Pete Hageman

Part of the MCFRS Rookie Probationary training package includes running simulated scenarios that involve following a hose line in smoke, search and rescue, and different rescue drags.  So at Rockville Station 3 today, crews completed a Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) training evolution to meet these objectives.

Click on photo for more

A RIC is a crew of firefighters whose assignment at a fire scene is to be on stand-by, and at the ready, to leap into action if a firefighter (FF) or two become trapped inside a structure during a fire incident. 

The evolution involved crews entering into a “Mayday” situation (firefighter trapped) with a RIC pack and Thermal imager going down into the basement of Station 3 following the hose line.  Face pieces (worn on a FF’s face to breath air from an air pack) were blanked so zero visibility, which occurs in real fires, was obtained.  Once the crews found the downed firefighter he was rescued first to the bottom of the stairs, and then while running low on air, up a flight of steps to the outside in an area of refuge. 

The training drill was successful and all learned the enormous exertion it takes to extract a downed firefighter from a structure fire.