Blytheville firemen do more than respond to house fires.
While structural firefighting is the first thing that comes to mind, the Blytheville Fire Department has many functions and many different challenges it must meet, according to Blytheville Fire Chief Ivory Diamond.
The department has 37 men on staff, working three shifts at 11 men per shift. There are also three staff officers, a fire marshal and an administrative assistant.
Firemen work 24-hour shifts. They are on duty rain or shine, sleet or snow, holidays.
No matter the season or weather condition, they are "Ready to answer the call of the citizens of Blytheville," Diamond said.
The structural firefighting function of the department is its foundation, of course.
All firemen are trained in that field. But, the firemen also cross-train in other areas that the general public may not be aware of.
They spend eight weeks in the fire academy learning structural firefighting and months of on-the-job training, learning how to operate their apparatus and how to conduct fire inspections. They also learn how to investigate fires and mitigate the many situations that they face during a house fire.
The BFD fleet includes: four 1,250-gallon per minute pumpers; three 1,000-gallon per minute pumpers; two aerial latter devices, one extending 100 feet and the other 65 feet; one 2,800-gallon tanker; and two utility trucks.
Not only are they required to learn structural firefighting, they are also called upon to be cross-trained in many other areas such as: Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARF), Hazardous Materials Mitigation, Confined Space Rescue, High Angle Rescue, vehicle extrication and wildland firefighting.
All these areas require that the firefighter be certified in and recertified annually.
"In order to keep up with their certifications the firefighters have to be committed to hours and hours of training to maintain their level of knowledge in the many different areas of firefighting and rescue training that they are required to maintain," Diamond said.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com