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February 13, 2012

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Henderson:

Council members get hands-on firefighter training

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Erin Dostal

Henderson Councilwoman Kathleen Boutin shakes her hands while getting suited up to fight fire at the Henderson Fire Department’s training facility near Warm Springs Road. The Henderson Fire Department invited the City Council to participate with them in training Wednesday morning, putting three councilwomen and the city clerk through their drills.

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Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Henderson City Council fire training

Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder gets ready to fight fire at the Henderson Fire Department's training facility near Warm Springs Road. The Henderson Fire Department invited the City Council to participate with them in training Wednesday morning, putting three councilwomen and the city clerk through their drills. Launch slideshow »

Henry Kokoszka flipped a switch and — whoosh — a car caught fire.

Kokoszka isn’t a magician. He’s a captain for the Henderson Fire Department who was in charge of starting a controlled car fire during a training exercise with the Henderson City Council.

The Fire Department on Wednesday invited council members to participate in several training exercises at their facility at 401 Parkson Road, near Warm Springs Road.

Three Henderson councilwomen, Debra March, Gerri Schroder and Kathleen Boutin, and Henderson City Clerk Monica Martinez Simmons participated in the training. Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen and City Manager Mark Calhoun also participated in the morning's events.

The event was meant as an orientation for council members to see what the city’s firefighters go through every day — rigorous training and emergency responses.

“If the citizens are asking questions, they can articulate why we do it,” said Henderson Fire Chief Doug Stevens.

Stevens said his favorite part of the day was watching the firefighters interact with the council members and the city clerk. Everyone seemed excited to teach and learn, he said.

Firefighters train rigorously and frequently to be prepared to respond at any time, even the middle of the night, Kokoszka said.

“We’ve gotta wake up and get all our gear on an be at your house parked within five minutes,” he said. “It’s muscle memory.”

The council members and Simmons were put through several different training exercises, including rescuing a child from a burning building and extinguishing a car fire with a high-pressure hose.

They held a fire hose to extinguish a fire and pulled a dummy from a fire- and smoke-filled room.

“This is very educational,” Schroder said. “It gave me a better understanding of the vehicles they have...and how each member of the fire department has a specific job.”

March said she was struck by how hot it was wearing the fire gear, even in the cooler weather.

“I can just imagine what they go through year round,” she said. “It gives me a better sense of what they go through.”

Boutin said the training provided her with “a much deeper appreciation for what our fire and EMT personnel do for our community. When we have to come to the table and make decisions on cutbacks...this would not even be a consideration for me.”

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