The
police & fire divisions of the Maumelle Department of Public Safety doubled
in size Wednesday (April 21, 2004) as four students from Sean Barron's ninth
grade class at Academics Plus Charter School
became
police officers & firefighters for a day.
James Tipton and Mitchell Taylor, both of Maumelle, joined
Engineers Charles Watson and Michael Cossey in the fire division. Josh Brent,
of Little Rock, and Carl Sutherland, of Maumelle, accompanied Sgt. Mike Gilbert
and Officer Chris Lester in the patrol division. The four students were a
part of a class project that saw members of Barron's class work in different
areas of city government. In addition to the Department of Public Safety,
students were assigned to Public Works, Parks & Recreation and the many
offices and divisions within City Hall. |
Firefighters
For A Day
James Tipton (left) & Mitchell Taylor |
A Day In The
Fire Division
After arriving at the fire station Wednesday morning,
Firefighters Tipton & Taylor were given a tour of the station and issued
uniform shirts for their shift. They were shown the fire division's primary
piece of equipment, Engine 1, and learned about the variety of firefighting,
rescue & emergency medical gear it carries. There was a brief demonstration
of the the division's Holmatro rescue tools,
 |
which are sometimes
referred to as the "Jaws of Life."
The crew raided the fire division's supply closet and procured
two sets of bunker gear, which are the protective clothing that firefighters
wear. Tipton & Mitchell experienced donning the boots, pants, coat &
helmet. They also wore the self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that
firefighters use to breath clean air in hazardous environments. Each had
the opportunity to wear the SCBA facemask and experience what it was like
to breath from the compressed air system. |
Heavy
rain forced nearly all of the morning's activities inside. A brief break
in the showers, however, allowed Tipton & Taylor a chance to see and
operate the division's aerial unit -- Truck 1. Tipton's job was to raise
and lower the aerial ladder from it's bed on top of the truck. Taylor was
in charge of extending it to it's full length of 75 feet.
At 1116, the firefighters for a day joined Watson &
Cossey on Engine 1 to respond to a residential fire alarm on St. Thomas Drive.
After arriving on scene, an investigation revealed that the alarm was triggered
from light smoke created when the occupant cleaned his stove & oven.
After returning to quarters from the alarm run, it was
time to experience firehouse cooking. The crew took their lunch break in
the firehouse living quarters. Maumelle DPS dispatcher (and honorary C-Shift
grillmaster) Adam Swalls dodged the rain while grilling some delicious
burgers.
In the afternoon, Tipton & Taylor were joined by classmates
Brent & Sutherland from the patrol division. The new additions were also
issued uniform shirts. All four loaded into Engine 1 and were taken to the
department's burn bunker at Lake Willastein Regional Park. After touring
the bunker, which is used by firefighters to light and fight training fires,
they each donned full protective gear and extinguished a small controlled
fire using a dry chemical extinguisher.
Firefighters
(from left) Brent, Taylor (hidden), Tipton and Sutherland peer into the burn
bunker. |
Each student
extinguished a small, controlled
fire with a dry chemical extinguisher. |
When
the live fire training was complete, Sutherland returned to the patrol division
and was joined by Tipton. Taylor & Brent remained with the firefighters
for the remainder of the day. Brent was shown the SCBA gear, tried it on
and experienced breathing air with the unit. For the final activity of the
day, Brent and Taylor were given a quick lesson on searching for victims
in a hot & smoky environment. They wore face masks that blocked their
vision and each successfully searched for a mannequin victim by crawling
on their knees, navigating around furniture and feeling with their arms &
hands. |
