October 20, 2006

Firefighters acquire specialized training

       White River Township Firefighters from Station 51, A-shift, attended a specialized training course this past weekend in Greenwood.  The course, sponsored by the Greenwood Fire Department and the Johnson County Local Emergency Planning Committee, was designed to help firefighters be better prepared to deal with liquid propane emergencies.

The course spanned a total of eight hours, the first four of which consisted of classroom instruction on liquid propane's physical and chemical properties and its various containment systems.  The final four hours were dedicated to fighting liquid propane tank and Christmas tree valve fires.  As learned in the course, this specialized type of firefighting requires a great deal of organization and teamwork to control the fire until a valve can be shut down isolating the fuel source.
 

           
(Click on a thumbnail to enlarge photo)

  

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