Welcome!
The District of Columbia Firefighters Burn Foundation held their first ever Fall Training Weekend on October 17th and 18th, 2009. The event was a huge success. Over 90 students registered for this Hands-On-Training weekend with some coming from New Jersey, North Carolina, and, even, Florida. The attendees took part in four training classes. They were Rapid Intervention Group skills, Engine Company Operations, Recognizing and Surviving the Flashover and Firefighter Escape. During the off time on Saturday night, all were invited to attend a get-together at Duffy’s Irish Restaurant and Bar. This good time bar was a perfect place to wind down and get to know all those involved with the class. The evening was highlighted by a raffle with a grand prize of a pair of turnout pants featuring the integrated escape harness (designed by members of the DCFD) and the Petzl EXO escape set-up. This prize was donated by Globe Fire Suits and All Hands Fire Equipment. Sunday featured the second half of the training and a rainless day. The weekend culminated with a historic finale. This maybe the first class ever where each student received a certificate they could actually use!! If you know anyone who attended, make sure you ask them about this.
The Burn Foundation would like to thank all of the students who attended the event. The Fall Training Weekend was a fund-raiser for the organization and your participation made this very worthwhile . The Burn Foundation would also like to thank the instructors. You all provided excellent training as is evidenced in these comments from those who attended:
- “Very motivated instructors and some stuff that you can’t always train on. It was fun.”
- “Very valuable. Instructors helped me out A LOT! VERY GOOD.”
- “No B.S. training! All the DCFD guys were great to talk to and very knowledgeable.”
- “The positive attitudes from DCFD personnel. Great experience!”
A special thanks goes out to the DCFD who provided their Training Academy to hold the event. In addition, thanks to Scott Health and Safety who helped feed those in attendance. Thanks to High Angle Associates and Traditions Training for help with training equipment. Thank yous to Box alarm Graphics for the t-shirts and FHTWeb Design for the website. Finally, thank you to all of those who helped with the advertising and getting the word out. IT WORKED!!
There is talk about holding this event next year. With the positive feedback about the weekend, it appears that others hope this will be an annual thing, also. Please stay tuned and look for the big announcement on the dates for the 2010 DC Firefighters Burn Foundation Fall Training Weekend. Thanks and remember…..LIVE TO TRAIN, TRAIN TO LIVE!!
