ORANGE, Texas — More than 40 firefighters from across the area gathered to practice ways to keep Southeast Texas safe and better their respective communities.
Several Southeast Texas fire departments joined forces in Orange Sunday for an in-depth training session. Live house fire scenarios were included in the session.
“We practice in saving lives, so the veterans are going to go in, do a rescue, pull them out, and then we'll triage them,” Orange County Services ESD 4 Captain Kelley Moore said.
Crews from Orange, Pinehurst, Deweyville, Groves, Nederland, and Orange County trained for brush fires, electrical fires and house fires. The event provided the chance for seasoned firefighters and newcomers to sharpen their skills.
"The firefighters come together, train together,” Capt. Kelley Moore said. “So that way, when we come together at a real incident, we know each other, and we know each other’s equipments and our capabilities.".
Seasoned firefighters feel it’s important for newcomers to get experience in difficult situations because fires are complex and unpredictable.
“We talked about emergency evacuations. If something goes wrong, how are you going to get the folks out." Billy Moore, president of the Orange County Fireman’s Association, said. “How to read the smoke, how to read the flames, know when to get out.”
Fires were started using barrels of hay inside an abandoned home. Groves Volunteer Firefighter Ashley Parr attended Sunday's training session and learned something new.
‘I've learned about the thermal layers in the smoke,” Parr said. “As the heat rises your smoke layers bank down, farther and farther and closer and closer to the ground. That's why firefighters crawl instead of walking around."
Whether attendees were new faces in their departments or were seasoned veterans, Sunday was a chance for them to sharpen their skills.
"When you bring firefighters out here on a Sunday that are willing to give their time to better themselves, it makes their communities better,” Capt. Billy Moore said.
The Orange County Fireman's Association will hold another training May 1, 2023 at the Orange Fire Department at 7 p.m.
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