[LSNN] Exclusive Access to Fire Station 6: Los Santos Fire Department's Training Establishment

[Greyfeather]

 

Exclusive Access to Fire Station 6: Los Santos Fire Department's Training Establishment

Nayeli Greyfeather

 

Keira Lance and Captain Archie Lannon

 

Okay. So, I'm late again. Don't tell my boss.

 

After getting lost a few times, I finally pull in at Fire Station 6. In my defense, the Station is located behind heavy gates inside the Los Santos International Airport. I push through the front doors and hear voices somewhere in the back. I walk further in and onto the training hall floor, and it's there I first see Keira Lance speaking with Paramedic trainees. There's a row of resuscitation dummies nearby.

 

We stare at each other and it quickly becomes obvious that nobody was actually expecting me. Great! This makes me perfectly on time. 

 

A few quick phone calls are made and I'm reassured that they'll do what they can to help me stay and report. That I'm really not an imposition (I am). It's then that I get my first sense of the simple decency of the people I'm dealing with.

 

Did you know that many FD personnel on duty as Life-Guards are volunteering their time? 

 

Keira, a full time civilian recruitment officer, gives me a smile of reassurance as I wait nervously. Soon, Captain Archie Lannon arrives and he eyes me with some suspicion, "Hi, who'd you be?" We go through the ritual of me showing him my press pass and he nods. I feel slightly more at ease.

 

"Our Academy class has already graduated, it's mostly EMS courses and divisional training right now. Mostly private out of the eyes stuff that needs to get done. Mainly our Paramedic training program at the moment."

 

Paramedics training in the main lecture hall

 

"This is our main training hall. We run six stations through here." The six stations are: rope rescue, structural fire simulator, high-rise simulator, physical training course, door breaching station, and the smoke room.

 

The smoke room

 

Inside the smoke room is a maze that every academy candidate has to crawl through with full SCBA bunker gear.

 

Captain Lannon explains, "Once they get to the end, completely blind, they get a teddy bear, per tradition. It trains on the fact that you can't see anything inside a fully involved structural fire. It gets the candidate used to dropping vision entirely, and, it'll run them through being trapped, and having to crawl out."

 

The high rise simulator consists of stairs, landings and doors. 

 

"LS has had a few apartment fires, building fires; lotta stairs. So this helps us prepare for those conditions."

 

The PT course

 

Throughout the duration of their 12 week training period, FD candidates are also required to finish the PT course in under a minute - all while wearing full gear. They must successfully pass the course once every week.

 

I tell Captain Lannon that it sounds tough, he replies as a matter of fact, "It should be."

 

Door breaching station

 

I soon see two doors standing seemingly where no doors should be. This is the door breaching station. 

 

"We train here on a couple dozen ways on how to crack a door open. Simplest one is turning the door handle. Then it goes from there. If an object is stallin' the door, we chop it down, if the door is jammed, we'll break the lock and crack it open, we can train kick techniques, cracks, single man entry and double man entry."

 

When we enter the main lecture hall, I hear the Paramedics are being trained on the safety protocols that apply to their arrival at a scene.

 

"A lot of our trainin' is classroom work, fire mechanics, paramedic school, EMT school, hazardous material training, divisional certification."

 

Fire Station 6 also hosts air operations and crash team division home offices.

 

Keira soon rejoins us and we talk about her role. She handles LSFD's recruitment drives, and prepares candidates for training and induction in to the Department. Obviously someone you want to know if you're looking for a great career.

 

All throughout my tour, Captain Lannon has been answering phone and radio calls in his gruff but efficient way. He seems to put out little "spot fires" with every call. Yet he remains attentive to me and never once makes me feel bad for asking what I'm fairly sure are some foolish questions.

 

We close by saying goodbye at the door to the facility and they give me a wave.

 

As I drive away it strikes me just how helpful and accommodating they were to me. But I shouldn't be surprised.

 

These are the people who train and recruit the next generation of LSFD personnel, all of whom selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the people and property of the citizens of Los Santos and Blaine County. I'm thankful that they do.

 

 

 

 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE - CLICK HERE

Edited October 22, 2020 by Greyfeather
Grammar and updated the duration of the course

[Greyfeather]

Comments are open.

 

Nayeli ?

[Jorgensen]

AMacCarthy

 

Great article! Wish I could have been there for you as well. But, had other things to attend to! :)