Firefighters Undergo Fire Pump Operator Training

All week, Lexington Firefighters have been learning first hand what a catastrophic hose failure or problem feels like. The only thing missing is the fire.

Retired Littleton Fire Chief, Alex McCurdy, owns and operates the simulator pump, and travel to many fire departments across New England to train fire fighters. McCurdy and a second operator simulate different situations using a computer to control what the pump "delivers" to the engine. These simulations demonstrate what would happen in a variety of situations, including hose kinks, loss of pressure, loss of water, using several hoses at a time and selecting the correct pressure for extra-long hoses. 

"The training does cost money", McCurdy noted. But having been a fire fighter for many years, he is encouraged by how many fire chiefs have embraced the value of this training experience. "The last place you want to do training, is on the job," he said.

The simulator can be connected to any engine, meaning crews can train with the actual vehicles they operate. Best of all, the simulator is virtually "green," re-using the same water for each simulation.  

McCurdy and his staff are all retired fire fighters, with over 120 years of combined experience. Information on the simulator can be found at www.fdss-ne.com.