Training

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The City of Davis Fire Department partners with the West Valley Regional Fire Training Consortium (WVRFTC) to provide career development for all uniformed personnel. The WVFTC is responsible for developing, delivering, and coordinating training activities for the department. The training provided covers a broad spectrum. It includes (but is not restricted to) classes in hazardous materials mitigation, wildland firefighting, firefighter survival, high-rise response and safety, forcible entry, EMS certification and maintenance, ventilation practice, and technical rescue (confined space, trench, water).

Confined Space Rescue

When working in an enclosed area or underground, it is possible to become light-headed or overcome by nausea due to limited oxygen or some other atmospheric condition. If this occurs you should evacuate this space as quickly as possible to prevent passing out and requiring rescue.

Confined space is described as an area large enough for a person to perform work, where entry/exit are limited, and not meant for human occupancy. All Davis firefighters are trained to respond to incidents involving these areas, such as, railway storage cars, collapsed buildings, wells, etc.

Trench Rescue

With new and existing construction comes trenching; a long, deep cut in the ground used for laying water, sewage, and electrical pipes. Some trenches can be as deep as 30 feet. While working in a trench a worker can become engulfed by collapsing soil and require rescue.

Through the act of shoring the walls of the trenches with wood, and using specialty devices to stabilize the walls in place, firefighters can safely make their way to the patient and continue the rescue operation. After gaining access to the patient, through continuous digging and communication, they must receive emergency medical attention as soon as possible. These techniques can also be used in landslide and structural collapses

Water Rescue

As the seasons change and the rain begins to fall, the fire department must be prepared for the possibility of a water rescue. In the Davis area waterways such as the causeway, creeks, lakes and sloughs create a potential hazard for drowning. The Davis fire department has specialty equipment they use when a rescue is needed: ropes, flotation devices, telescoping poles, and cold water protection. Although the department is trained in still water rescue, swift water rescue can be performed from the shore.

Training has taken place at some of the local lakes and pools; firefighters can train on different rope rescues, flotation devices, and communication skills. It is important for the firefighters to relay important information to the victim they are trying to reach. Such as telling the victim to face forward with their legs out ahead of them when caught in a fast moving current, so they can reach out for a rope when it is made available.