NJ Coast Guard, local fire departments conduct training

Photo By Lt. John Edwards | Members of the Villas Fire Department attempt to break through a door to simulate a forced entry into the fire trainer aboard the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, March 23, 2015. The Coast Guard Fire Department and local fire companies have used the trainer 10 times this year to improve their effectiveness in the event of actual emergency responses. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards)  

CAPE MAY, NJ, UNITED STATES

03.24.2015

Story by Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards 

U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May

CAPE MAY, N.J. – Members of the Coast Guard Fire Department, stationed onboard the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, and members of local fire departments conducted fire suppression training, Monday.

Using a forced entry simulator, members of the Villas, Cape May and Rio Grande Fire Departments worked along side the CGFD to gain access to a space that was on fire. The firemen also trained on how to safely advance charged hoses through narrow passageways in order to suppress a fire and horizontal ventilation techniques.

“This training is important,” said Asst. Fire Chief for CGFD, Ryan Geraghty. “Teamwork and coordination, ahead of time, could mean the difference between life and death.”

It is a National Fire Protection Association requirement for fire departments to participate in a minimum of two live burns a year, but the CGFD has conducted more than the standard minimum.

“This is our 10th burn this year,” said Geraghty.

This training is important to maintaining an efficient working relationship with the CGFD’s civilian counter parts. The CGFD has established a mutual support agreement between the Coast Guard and Cape May County. Resources are made available to support either the municipalities or the training center in the event of an emergency.

“We respond to their emergencies, and they respond to ours,” Geraghty said. “Just another example of the Coast Guard taking care of its hometown.”

The CGFD has 18 firemen, who consist of both active duty Coast Guard and civilian firefighters. In 2014, the CGFD responded to approximately 100 emergency responses in the surrounding community.

• Date Taken: 03.24.2015
• Date Posted: 03.24.2015 17:20
• Story ID: 157923
• Location: CAPE MAY, NJ, US