Los Angeles County Fire Department Puts FSRI Research to Practice
We are always looking for examples of how fire departments are using our research results. Recently LAcoFD Director of Training Derek Alkonis shared what his department is doing to improve its knowledge of fire dynamics and how it can be put into practice. Below is an excerpt shared by the chief and two drills including drill plans, videos and a PowerPoint produced by his training section members. The first drill utilizes a compilation of presentations by the Fire Safety Research Insitute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes team, NIST and FDNY presentations from FDIC and the second drill is how their department is being taught to advance a hoseline and control the entry door.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has 3,000 firefighters in 180 fire stations and fire suppression camps that are responsible for protecting over 2,400 square miles of densely populated urban areas and wildland urban interface. Our challenge in Training is providing each firefighter with contemporary, timely, high quality, training materials that draw on the newest research findings from UL, NIST and NIOSH. We do this by posting our information on Blackboard, the web-based learning management system of our educational partner College of the Canyons. Our monthly drills are college classes instructed by our battalion chiefs where our personnel earn college credit by completing online and hands-on lessons as individuals and as a crew. Because Blackboard is available on the web, a firefighter can now access training materials, at work, on the drill ground, on the apparatus while assigned to a strike team, and even while at home recovering from an injury. The links below will take you to two of our July drills addressing UL and NIST’s research.
Thanks UL!
BC Derek Alkonis
LACoFD Director of Training
FIRE BEHAVIOR, INTRODUCTION AND FLOW PATH
WET HOSE LAY – ADVANCING 1 3/4″ WITH DOOR CONTROL
Door Control Hose Lay Drill Plan STRAIGHT LAY Powerpoint
