County Fire and Rescue to host neighbouring firefighters for mobile live training

Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue (PECFR) will host neighbouring firefighters for training using one of two of the province’s Mobile Live Training Units at Station 1 in Picton early next month.

“This is a thrilling opportunity for County firefighters to train with a state-of-the-art live-fire simulation tool,” said Chad Brown, PECFR Fire Chief.

PECFR will welcome firefighters from Mohawk Fire and the Township of Tyendinaga Fire Department, Friday, Aug. 2 to Sunday, Aug. 11.

The firefighters from all three municipalities will participate in an immersive firefighting training experience focused on fire suppression, pumper operations, and incident management systems.

The unit is one of two that roam the province and allow thousands of firefighters through training.

The unit, built by Dräger, has multiple areas to accommodate a variety of training scenarios. The unit is modular and can be reconfigured for various scenarios such as a kitchen fire that produces artificial smoke. There are standpipe connections, a sprinkler, and a couch to simulate a living room. The unit is made to deliver pre-flashover conditions and departments can also train to a basement fire scenario. The third fire prop area is upstairs, where firefighters train on laddering the second story window. There is also a roof prep that was added to train ventilation.

The propane props are designed to be easy to reset. and the interior can be hosed down to clean.

The Mobile Live Training Unit (MLFTU) is staffed with Ontario Fire College course instructors. The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office covers the costs involved to help expand and modernize access to high-quality, hands-on fire training experiences.

Two operators are required during training, with one occupying a command centre that is cordoned off from the rest of the unit. Inside the command centre is a button that will shut everything down in case of emergency. There are also cameras showing each area of the unit and safety monitoring functions as well.

“The Ministry of the Solicitor General has purchased these units for use by Ontario Fire Services. Without the funding and commitment from the Ministry and coordination by the Office of the Fire Marshal, opportunities like this would not be possible for many departments,” Brown adds.