Southington FD Gives Sneak Peak On How They Save Lives

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Whenever someone has one of the worst days of their life, chances are they will come into contact with a first responder to save them or their property.

But to garner the skills to do that, responders — whether professional or volunteer — must train, train and train. For firefighters and police officers, preparation is key.

The Southington Fire Department this week has released images on social media of multiple training sessions that provide an insight as to how they prepare for any contingency.

"Our crews conduct daily training on a myriad of topics. Preparing to respond to the unthinkable is what we do," wrote the department on social media.

For example, the SFD recently conducted a training session on gaining access to a vehicle when side access is blocked and it is upside down.

The dramatic training video shows that firefighters are, even, prepared for this contingency on the roadways.

Instead of just flipping the vehicle back over and risking further injury to passengers, firefighters make what is called "relief cuts" to the vehicle utilizing incredibly strong tools.

This allows responders to, in the words of the SFD, fold the vehicle in half, "exposing the passenger compartment."

Later in the week, the SFD and volunteers conducted inflatable boat training at YMCA Camp Sloper's outdoor center.

There, firefighters worked on boat handling, victim retrieval and search patterns.

And, they did this operation at night, so if disaster ever were to strike on the waters when its dark, the rescuers are ready.

Wrote the SFD, "Training doesn't stop when the sun goes down."

For the Southington Fire Department's Facebook page, click on this link.