Fire Ops 101: State lawmakers learn firefighting firsthand during program in McCandless

Technically, they’re piston-rod hydraulic tools used for prying. But mostly everyone knows them as the Jaws of Life.

Whatever you want to call the devices, numerous Pennsylvania lawmakers and their associates had the opportunity to give them a try on what remained of some old cars in a simulation of what emergency responders often encounter.

“As legislators, we can’t do our job unless we understand what people have to go through on a day-to-day basis,” Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, said before taking her Jaws of Life turn during Fire Ops 101, an interactive program held Sept. 7 at the Allegheny County Fire Training Academy in North Park.

Hosting the event roughly every other year since 2006 is Pittsburgh Local No. 1 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, with the goal of raising awareness among the state’s top elected officials.

“What we wanted them to do was have a hands-on experience of what firefighters do every day — in order to educate them in our career path, in the equipment we use, the tactics we deal with — so that when they’re making decisions, they can make a more informed decision that’s going to affect firefighters and how we deliver our service,” Ralph Sicuro, the local’s president, said.

This year’s Fire Ops 101 featured several scenarios in which guests took part, including rescue operations using junked vehicles, while receiving pertinent information with regard to each.

“Not only do we learn the stressors that our firefighters are under when they’re fighting fires, but all the other things that are involved in their job: responding to overdoses, making sure they’re caring for our elderly population and everything in between. In that way, we can support their work through legislative action,” said Innamorato, whose district includes part of Shaler and Etna, Millvale and Reserve.

Some of the scenarios took place in specially equipped training academy buildings, such as search and rescue amid smoke and controlled flames. Also addressed were fire behavior, aerial ladder operations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and possible overdoses, and mental health and wellness.

Regarding the latter, Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Capt. John Gardell said that Local No. 1 has established two behavioral health centers to focus specifically on post-traumatic stress injuries, biological trauma causing physical changes in the nervous system, afflicting firefighters.

“What we are trying to do also is working with our state legislators to get this to be covered under worker’s compensation,” he said.

He explained that stress for the people in his profession tends to be cumulative.

“You think about your worst day. Does it stay with you? It absolutely does. You remember that day, whether it was the loss of a loved one or being in a traumatic incident,” he said. “We’re seeing that every single day, and those incidents just build and build and build.”

Another challenge for today’s firefighters related to drug abuse.

“We’re going to these first-responder calls, and unfortunately, more and more in some of our neighborhoods they’re overdose calls,” Gardell said. “We’re administering Narcan before EMS or Advanced Life Support or police even get on the scene, and it’s just all too often now.”

Rep. Chris Sainato, D-New Castle, acknowledged the issue.

“It’s not getting better,” he said. “That’s the scary part, and that takes resources to try to save lives.”

As his party’s chairman of the state House’s Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, he had attended Fire Ops 101 previously.

“By us actually participating and actually performing these duties, we get a different perspective,” Sainato said, compared with watching a portrayal on television, for example. “This is hard work. These people put their lives on the line every time they go to a fire.”

Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, agreed.

“It’s really hard to know what these people go through unless you put on the uniform and you put on the jacket, and you go into a burning building,” he said. “This is the closest thing that I can do to the real thing, and it gives me a lot more respect for what they do.”

Among the information shared during the program was that firefighters carry equipment weighing 60 pounds or more.

“I did not know it was that cumbersome. So it was very good for a person like myself to see that firsthand,” Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Monroeville, said. “These brave folks fight these battles for us. So at the state, we need to make sure that we provide them with the best services possible.”