LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fire recruits decked out in full gear got to practice in donated homes this week. It’s as “real life” as you can get without actual lives being on the line.
It’s invaluable training for future fire fighters in Jefferson County. On Monday, recruits with Anchorage Middletown Fire & EMS and St. Matthews Fire got their hands on six donated homes in Jeffersontown to train in full gear with the entire buildings at their disposal.
Fire recruits like Elijah Hernandez had every tool at their disposal.
“Once you break through, you can just pull the wall out,” Hernandez explained in mid-swing.
Hernandez is a recruit with St. Matthews. Monday’s training was led by the Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS. Half a dozen homes are the training ground for over two dozen recruits.
“Hopefully the public doesn’t need me, but when they do, I’m there,” Hernandez said.
One building over was Luke Sivado. “When we break a window, we start at the top corner and work our way down,” Sivado explained.
For Sivado and the other recruits, graduation is only a few weeks away. After that, he’ll be on full time with Anchorage. After over six months in the academy, it’ll be on to the real thing.
“It’s really helpful to have a real scenario environment so when we get on the street we have a little bit of experience of what it’s like instead of using props,” Sivado said.
“We’ve definitely been busy learning a lot of new stuff every day and we’re thankful that [Jeffersontown] gave us these houses to work on,” fire recruit Chase Smith said.
A total of 27 recruits were on site on Monday, taking it all in as Hernandez put it.
“It’s like drinking from a water hose—you’re not going to get everything, but hold on to the important stuff. Hold on to the stuff that going to keep you alive,” Hernandez said.
Graduation for the Anchorage Middletown and St. Matthews recruits is slated for April 10, 2023.