Home » The Archives » Chapter 12 » Playing with Fire
| Re: Playing with Fire [message #470 is a reply to message #469] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 21:08   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
Switzerland |
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Tuesday, October 16, 2068, 10:20 a.m., Tracy Island
Jeff listened intently as Cassie went over the report she had prepared on her analysis of the cane fire. As he glanced over at Brains, he could see that the scientist was just as engrossed in the report.
"I'd recommend more caution anytime a vehicle, like a chopper, is being approached when there is fire around. There is always a chance of an explosion, like what happened with the helicopter in this case. Anyone trained to fight fires is well aware of this, and the first thing any survivors of a crash like this one would do is put as much distance between themselves and the downed aircraft," Cassie said confidently.
Her nervousness about presenting the information had disappeared as soon as she had started her report. She was in her element right now. Cassie glanced down at her notes before continuing.
"Alan also left the Firefly when he spotted the survivor and followed the guy on foot. Now, if the Firefly had been in a terrain on which it couldn't continue that would be one thing, but from the information I was given, it doesn't indicate that. He should have taken the Firefly as far as possible. By leaving the Firefly and continuing on foot, he ran the risk of being cut off from the vehicle."
Jeff nodded. "A very good point. I don't think that even occurred to anyone else," he commented.
He had been impressed so far with Cassie's report as well as with her ability to answer the questions that he and Brains had asked throughout it. She had answered them all without losing track of where she had been in the report she was given.
"The last concern I have is more general rather than specific to anything that happened in this instance. For the most part, IR followed the instructions given to them by the local personnel on scene which is fine. I realize that coordinating with the local rescue personnel is important. However, my concern is this - if the local personnel weren't there to rely on would IR know how to proceed without their guidance?"
"A very good question, and to answer it for you, several members of the team have expressed that they are unsure about how to go about fighting a fire," Jeff commented. "Hence, the reason we brought you on board."
Cassie nodded, having expected a reply along those lines.
"Perhaps it is time that Cassie conducts a training session or two of her own, Mr. Tracy," Brains commented. "She could present some of the ideas she presented here today to the rest of the team, as well as going over some general guidelines on how to proceed."
Jeff nodded. "A very good suggestion, Brains. How do you feel about it, Cassie? You've only been here a couple of weeks. Do you feel ready to be the trainer instead of the trainee?"
"Yes, Mr. Tracy," she replied without hesitation. "Wildfires and fires within a building are two different things. Given that the cane fire was a wildfire, I think it would be best to concentrate on fighting wildfires right now and then handle building fires at a later time."
"Sounds reasonable. IR has had more experience dealing with building fires than wildfires. No point in overwhelming the troops by tackling everything at once," Jeff said, adding to the notes he had been taking on a data padd. "How would you like to go about the training session."
"Well," Cassie began, making some preliminary plans in her head. "It might be best to split it up so as to not overwhelm everybody. Perhaps present the analysis of the cane fire rescue in one session and then do some training on how to fight a wildfire in general."
Cassie paused for a moment, deciding whether to suggest her next idea or not. She finally decided to go for it.
"I have another suggestion to make. Learning about how to fight a fire in theory is quite different then actually doing so. Granted IR has fought fires before, but that was without the training. In the fire academy, we go through what are known as live fire training drills. It's basically a test situation where we are presented with a controlled fire and we use our training to put it out. Afterward, we receive feedback on our performance. When I went through the academy in the city, the live fire drills that were done were building fires. The New York City Fire Department does them in what are known as Simulated Structural Fire Buildings in which they use computers to control the situation. When I was training I found those drills quite helpful because it allows you to put what you were taught to use in a controlled situation. I participated in a live fire drill when I did the wildfire training course out in California. They're a bit more complicated to set up; in the one I participated in, the foresters out there were doing a controlled burn which we used for our advantage. If we could find a safe way to conduct a live fire drill of our own I think it would be beneficial to the training process."
Jeff thought about her suggestion. "What do you think, Brains. Think we could pull off live fire training here on the island?" he asked, looking over at the scientist.
Brains remained silent for a moment. "If we did it on the far side of the island, there wouldn't be any danger to any of the facilities. Cassie has a point; putting theory into practice in a controlled situation could be beneficial. I'm sure Cassie and I could find a way to conduct a controlled fire."
"Very well," Jeff glanced down at a calendar. "Think a week would give you enough time to pull it off? We could schedule the training sessions on Friday and Monday afternoons," he said, looking up at Cassie. "We can rearrange your training schedule a little if need be if you need extra time to prepare, though with Virgil in Paris; you do have the time you normally spend with him open."
"I can be ready to conduct the training session by Friday," Cassie told him. She looked from Jeff to Brains. "Think we can get a live fire scenario set up in the next week?"
"It might mean putting in some time over the weekend but we should be able to pull it off," the scientist replied with a nod.
"Very well," Jeff said. "I'll send out an email to everyone informing them of the upcoming training. Is there anything else either of you would like to discuss at this point?"
Jeff looked to Cassie and then to Brains. Both of them replied no. "Then this meeting is concluded. Keep me informed on how the plans for this training are coming along."
"Yes, sir," Cassie replied.
"Of course, Mr. Tracy," Brains answered.
Cassie and Brains stood up and headed out of the office.
"We should probably start working out the details as soon as possible," Brains said to Cassie as they exited the lounge.
Posted by starrynebula on March 10, 2008
  
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