Three Yakima City Council members will get a taste of what it’s like to be a firefighter when they take part in a Fire Operations 101 Training session at the Yakima Fire Department (“YFD”) Training Center (located adjacent to YFD Station 95 – 807 East Nob Hill Boulevard) on Saturday, April 14th from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Media is invited to cover the training session. Media who plan to cover the event need to contact Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler. He can be reached by phone at 901-1142 and by e-mail at randy.beehler@yakimawa.gov.
Yakima Council members Carmen Méndez, Holly Cousens, and Kay Funk will be part of a group that will suit up in full firefighter turnout gear (referred to by firefighters as Personal Protective Equipment) and participate in training that will include extinguishing an actual fire in the YFD Training Center burn room. They will also use hydraulic and/or electric tools to cut open a car and extricate a simulated patient as well as help treat a simulated patient who goes into cardiac arrest.
“The Fire Ops 101 training provides an up close experience that puts trainees in the boots of a firefighter,” said YFD Deputy Chief Pat Reid. “By the end of the session, trainees will have a really good idea of what our firefighters face on a day-to-day basis.”
Yakima City Manager Cliff Moore, Union Gap Council members Julie Schilling and Sandy Daily, Lieutenant Colonel Jarret Mathews, who currently serves as Garrison Commander at the U.S. Army’s Yakima Training Center, and Michael Daniels, who currently serves as Deputy Garrison Commander at the Yakima Training Center, will also be part of Saturday’s trainee group.