22
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
EXCHANGE: Program
has been in place
for several years
Continued from page 1
the exchange for many years,
getting to go to a different
location and learn on-site
and in a city environment.
The equipment and construc-
tion differences allowed for a
broader understanding of how
fire is dealt with overseas.
<They use engines and
mechanisms with a higher
volume of water and just
overall different tactics when
approaching a fire because all
their buildings are quite dif-
ferent than ours,= said Frutos.
<The hazmat team there
is a lot bigger and a lot
more involved because it is
an international and highly
urbanized area,= he said.
Another thing Frutos
appreciated about the
experience was getting to
work and explore the build-
ings in Hampshire and sur-
rounding London area that
carry hundreds of years of
history. <The buildings there,
there are some that are older
than our country and saw war
and moments in history; it
was interesting to see how
they were built and how fire is
fought within them,= he said.
With the training, the
departments are able to
learn from one another
about various techniques
and approaches they have to
firefighting.
The two wanted to take
back with them the hands-on
experiences they had and put
more tools in the tool belt.
fourth year, Burke said
<It really contributes to
the professional officer rela-
tionship cross-station, and
cross-nation,= he noted.
Burke enjoyed getting to
run and train with a differ-
ent department and see how
things work in a different
environment.
<I didn9t have any agenda
going in and was really open-
minded to learning new tac-
tics and techniques,= Burke
said.
The main difference the
two firefighters noticed dur-
ing their time was the differ-
ence in construction.
<They have all old, brick
buildings, whereas here we
have wood and fast-burning
materials,= said Burke.
There, the burn time is
longer and the structure holds
up better. Both got to practice
using an ultra-high-pressure
lance unit which is a special-
ized high-pressure water hose
that shoots metal shards and
water through brick to make
it safer for firefighters to
enter.
The department there does
not have an EMS sector, they
strictly deal with fire calls
and rescue calls 4 no patient
care 4 which was a differ-
ence from the training and
interaction EMTs have at the
Sisters department.
<We spent every day with
the department training on
PHOTO BY PHOTO PROVIDED
buildings and in different
environments and assisting Sisters firefighters Damon Frutos and Pat Burke trained in a highly
on rescues and jump calls,= urbanized environment — with different spaces and building types than
they are used to here.
said Burke.
Burke9s favorite part of
the exchange was getting to
develop personal relation-
ships with the crew and con-
necting over their profession,
whilst still learning other
training and methods.
<The experience was eye-
opening and rewarding. We
all fight fire similarly, and we
learn from each other, and in
the end, it is about making
the profession better,= said
Burke.
Damon Frutos is a fire-
fighter paramedic and the
<acting in capacity= officer
Serving Sisters Since 1976
(where he takes over an offi-
cer position if one is other-
wise disposed).
He was the second offi-
cer on the exchange with
Burke. Frutos, before coming
to Sisters, had other experi-
ences with departments in
Washington so he knew the
importance of working along-
side other departments.
<Having other experi-
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of doing things,= said Frutos.
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Damon Frutos and Pat Burke participated in a firefighter exchange
program in Hampshire, England, last month.
<We are such a rural area,
we have to constantly be
thinking and training for that
once-in-a lifetime type of
call, and this experience adds
to that tool belt of knowledge,
which is the most important
part of the training so we are
prepared,= said Frutos.
The firefighters worked
every day with the Hampshire
department, but didn9t go on
a huge number of calls (they
said due to the fact that they
were there, calls weren9t as
frequent). But they got to
train on and in various build-
ing types, learn rescue opera-
tions and explore the world of
firefighting in an urbanized
area.
One of the most memo-
rable moments for both of
the firefighters was their day
with the London Fire Brigade
on the London Fire Boat
being taken down the River
Thames.
<We got to see how the
boat works, and historically
where it was docked right in
the heart of London,= said
Frutos.
Burke would like to go
back to England as a visitor.
<I would love to return to
the area and take my kids to
explore the New Forest,= said
Burke.
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