Oregon National Guard trains with local firefighters | 03.14.2007 | 08:28:22 | Views: 5404 | ID: March 14 '07: Members of the Oregon National Guard trained recently with local firefighters during a two-day training exercise designed to boost cooperation between state and local responders with the National Guard, Guard Experience reported. Officials at the training exercise said it was important to "enhance the capabilities of those first on the scene" of a disaster. Officials said they thought of the mutual training exercise after their experience with Hurricane Katrina. Sgt. Thomas Petit said, "What I really gained is an understanding of how we're going to work jointly in a mass casualty setting ... especially how our forces are going to cooperate and work together as a joint task force, where we're going to fit into division of labor and be the most valuable and work as a team." According to the Guard Experience, who obtained the story from the Oregon National Guard, during the exercise, experts from the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Training Center, worked to expand the guard's ability "to serve with first responders." Jeff Mather from the training center said, "When I see these guys on a call, if we do have something major that comes down, I know they know how to do this. ... I know they have a got at least a general idea and they can take care of a little car fire, they can help me with the hose if we're on a house fire and were a little shorthanded."
Copyright ©2007 TheBreakingNews.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or full without prior written permission.
|