Viewfinder: Facing the Flames

Tuesday, 25 Gwinnett County fire recruits faced a live fire for the first time during their 16-week certification class. Held at the burn building at the  in Dacula, the live burn is a culmination of all the skills the recruits have learned over the first eight weeks of certification.

According to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services public information officer Capt. Tommy Rutledge, the purpose of the training is to teach recruits the proper methods for controlling an interior fire and conducting primary search operations. 

During the exercise, the recruits wore full protective clothing and rotated through drills inside the burn building.

"If you think its hot just being out in the summer sun, throw on an extra forty-five pounds of firefighting gear, and a self-contained breathing apparatus, and rush into a burning building," Rutledge said in a released statement. "These are the conditions that firefighters operate in everyday."

When responding to an actual fire, firefighters are rotated through a rehab area where they take off their firefighting gear and re-hydrate with water and sports drinks. As part of the rehab, firefighters use cold, wet towels and misting fans to lower core body temperatures. Vital signs are also checked before a firefighter is allowed to return to action.

"This is my first experience with fighting a fire," said Ryan Black, a 25-year-old recruit from Suwanee. "There's a lot of heat and there's a lot of thoughts going through your head. It's a real eye opening experience."