Practice makes perfect

When Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Mike Wright told the group of 20 or so volunteer fire fighters assembled before him that there is no shame in voicing concerns or fears before heading into a 10-by-10 room bursting with flames, nobody moved.

Instead, many sets of anxious eyes focused on Wright, eager to get started.

After a brief pause designed to give his men the opportunity to speak up, Wright led them to a small, stark room that was part of a full-fledged burn building on the Harris County burn field grounds on Atascocita Road.

The small bunker, bare except for a retaining wall and a pretend stove equipped with gas pipes, would serve as the site for a kitchen fire scenario designed to give the fire fighters hands-on experience in battling remote-controlled rollover flames, the kind that licks the ceiling in hot rolling waves and needs to be extinguished in a specific zig-zag spray pattern from the fire hose.

“The dedication of our volunteers is second to none,” said Bob Kelshaw, spokesman for the AVFD. “This commitment to duty and continual attention to training and drills are a few of the things making our volunteers special and unique among other volunteer departments.”

Wright said that state regulations require Texas volunteer fire fighters to complete 48 hours of training annually, including eight hours in a live fire environment.

Kelshaw added that most volunteers participate in many more hours of training than simply the minimum required. The department utilizes the Harris County burn field four to five times per year, he said, to give fire fighters ample opportunity to continuously develop and refresh their skills.

Volunteers also practice the use of hoses, nozzles, spray patterns and various tools on an ongoing basis, often during downtime while working a shift.

“AVFD volunteers are some of the best trained and professional firefighters around due to the caliber and amount of our aggressive training program as well as the commitment of our training officers,” Kelshaw said. “They are second to none.”

In an effort to optimally prime prospective volunteers for the demands and expectations of the fire service, AVFD operates its own training academy.

“The AVFD recruit academy is attended by surrounding fire department,” Kelshaw said. “The academy graduates rookie firefighters that are capable of being safe as well as competent to help protect the residents of their communities.”
Story and photos by Stefanie Thomas, The Atascocita Observer