Firefighters in Haz Mat Suits during multi agency drill

The New Reality for Firefighters…

The world we live in today has changed the face of what it is to be a firefighter. In the photos below firefighters from the Iona McGregor Fire District took part in a multi agency drill in the City of Ft myers. The idea is to recreate a major incident in practice which gives our personnel opportunity to work with surrounding countywide organizations for potential response to emergency events which would otherwise overwhelm any one responding locality.

In these large scale mock exercises firefighters get the chance to combine their skill sets with other emergency responders; fire suppression, paramedic/EMT, haz-mat technician, active shooter advance teams, etc.

We also get the opportunity to pass along much needed experience to new firefighters just coming into the job. The volunteer on the backboard does not realize they are being carried by a seasoned veteran firefighter/paramedic and a new hire probationary firefighter. We use these practice events to help prepare a new generation of firefighters for this changing and often terrifying world of emergency responders.

Two Firefighters assisting someone Two firefighters carrying a person on a stretcher Firefighter in HazMat Suit