Firefighters Train to Rescue One of Their Own [VIDEO]

Members of the Wilmington Fire Department ran intense training that focused on how to rescue a downed firefighter with limited visibility in dangerous conditions.

It’s a scenario that is every firefighter’s nightmare. But thanks to this week’s training, members of the Wilmington Fire Department will be prepared for the worst. Eighteen firefighters from Wilmington and one from Lexington worked Tuesday at the Whitefield School on Middlesex Ave. during a Rapid Intervention Team training session that simulates the rescue of a trapped firefighter. During the training, firefighters wore specified oxygen tanks and masks that were blacked out to simulate non-existent visibility. Teams of four used a fireproof rope to mark their path to the trapped firefighter and followed a team leader who used a thermal imaging camera to lead the way to a dummy in the back of the building. When the teams reached the dummy…

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You Ask... Patch Answers

Why Were Firefighters at the Whitefield School Tuesday?

There was a heavy firefighter presence on Middlesex Ave., and we've got the answer as to why that was.

Where there's smoke, there's fire. But what about where there's no smoke, but plenty of firefighters? There was a large amount of firefighters on scene Monday and Tuesday at the Whitefield School on Middlesex Ave., and several readers have asked what they were doing there. Close to 20 firefighters from Wilmington, one came from Lexington, have been on hand for training that simulates conditions where a firefighter is trapped in a smoke filled building. Teams of four entered the building and crawled to the downed firefighter while wearing blacked out masks and oxygen tanks. For complete video coverage of the training, check back with Wilmington Patch on Wednesday. Have a You Ask... Patch Answers question you'd like us to look into? E-mail …

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