New Technology Helps UFA Firefighters Sharpen Their Skills
Jun 19, 2019, 7:28 PM | Updated: 9:05 pm
MAGNA, Utah – Firefighters from the Unified Fire Authority got some hands-on exercise Wednesday, training for the possibility of vehicle fires extending into homes.
“Keeps us trained, makes sure that we’re proficient on our basic skills. Obviously, we go over our times to make sure that we’re within the standards of our department,” said Cameron Ascarte, an engineer with UFA.
Firefighters have more tools available to them this year. Over the last several months, they have been equipped with more thermal imaging cameras than they’ve had in the past.
“There are two per rig. It is a game-changer. It is an essential tool for us. We can locate the fire while we’re outside and it gives us much faster responses inside to put out the fire,” Ascarte said. “We can use it to find people in houses. If there’s a vehicle accident, somebody ejected out into a field, we can use it to find them,”
The department will soon host confined-area rescue training before preparing for the upcoming fire season with wildland fire training.