By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Senior Editor
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Explaining the unique needs and challenges of the U.S. fire service to Congress has never been an easy task. But the Congressional Fire Services Institute is enlightening congressional staffers by providing a firsthand glimpse of the life of a firefighter.
For the past 20 years, the institute has been putting workers from Capitol Hill through their paces with the help of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at an annual training event.
This year’s program, which took place Friday, attracted dozens of participants for a 3-hour crash course that included vehicle extrication, maze training, experiencing a burning building and extinguishing a controlled burn.
Under the watchful eyes of instructors, participants in full turnouts and SCBA split into small groups for the training evolutions. The instructors guided the staffers through each stage, giving detailed explanations of the equipment involved and the challenges firefighters face in real-life scenarios.
Increase understanding
CFSI organizes the event to help increase understanding of the fire service at the grassroots level of Congress and the role federal funding plays.
The day began with CFSI Executive Director Bill Webb briefing the group ahead of the training sessions. “We have been doing this for 20 years and we do it to help you understand what it takes to be a firefighter,” he said.
“It’s an incredible experience. Please share this experience with your fellow staff and members of Congress.”
He was followed by Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines, who praised both the role CFSI has played in educating members of Congress about fire and life safety issues and the Maryland Institute itself, which he described as one of the best in the country.
Gaines told the participants the course would enable them to learn about the “courage, determination, strength and agility” needed to be a firefighter.
Needs of firefighters
Among the attendees at the event was Caroline McLean, legislative correspondent for Sen. Johnny Isakson. Speaking after completing the evolutions, she said she, for one, now better understood the needs of firefighters
 Photo CFSI |
“It was eye opening and I now have a new appreciation for the skill it takes to operate the plethora of life-saving machinery they have access to, like the Jaws of Life,” she said. “I also enjoyed being able to experience standing in a burning building and trying to remain calm.”
Chris Cook, a legislative assistant at the same office, said his take-home message was that the equipment firefighters need to get the job done and save lives does not come cheap.
“For instance, I had no idea fire trucks are so expensive and that due to high costs, many are handed down to locations that cannot afford them,” he said. “I can now better understand what resources it takes to respond to a fire and how to keep our firefighters safe while doing their job.”
Lee Steuer, legislative assistant at the office of Congresswoman Susan A. Davis, said she found training procedures “physically exhausting and stressful” at times.
“By talking with the firefighters, and participating in some of these training exercises, I left with a better understanding of the hard work and sacrifice firefighters deal with every day as a part of their job,” she said.