The Central Square and West Monroe Fire Companies routinely hold joint training nights as neighboring mutual aid departments, but this evening was a little different. Suited up in full gear and air packs the firefighters added one more piece of equipment – a hockey stick! While this may seem like just a fun get together, it was so much more. Imagine playing floor hockey in cumbersome protective gear, limited vision through your air mask and a limited supply of air.
According to CSFC Captain Maria Kurtz who organized the drill, “There were multiple things covered. In a nutshell it was a team building exercise to prepare everyone to work together for effective fire ground operation where we use our SCBA (air packs). It helped build communication skills and tested our air conservation ability, critical to an interior firefighter.