Fire district staffs up as Station 11 reopening set for Dec. 1

For the first time in two-and-a-half years, new recruits attending the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Academy had an opportunity to experience a full-scale simulation training, complete with fire engines and heavy equipment, at a parking garage in Concord.
On Friday July 18, the city of Concord allowed the academy to temporarily shut down the upper floors of the parking structure at the corner of Salvio and Colfax streets so the soon-to-be firefighters could practice techniques with more space than the 25-by-25 foot training tower area they usually have. There was also the added benefit of experience out in the community and in a new environment.
“It doesn’t have a fire or smoke, but it does have a training tower with a smaller set up. It gets us into a realistic situation, dealing with traffic, and people,” Brent Boling, a firefighter academy instructor, explained. “The main goal is just more hands on training for the new recruits. We try to prepare them for the possibilities from day one.”
On each floor of the parking lot, a group of firefighters could practice different skills. On the fourth floor there was a chalk drawing of an apartment building so the trainees could practice hurrying down a hallway, and on the fifth floor they simulated a fire, giving them a chance to use the fire hoses. While some firefighters practiced using the hoses as if there was a fire, many more looked on, ready to deal out more hose if necessary, and awaiting their turns.
Boling pointed out that, during training, the soon-to-be firefighters use as little water as possible because of the drought. Boling also explained that these recruits were carrying 100 to 200 feet of hose, 28 gallons of water, 65 pounds of gear, and were wearing a suit consisting of three layers: A moisture barrier layer, a quilted layer and a fire resistant layer.
In addition to all they carried, the firefighters frequently hurried up and down the stairs from the second floor, where the stand pipe was located for plugging in the hose, to the various floors where they would do their training. Below the parking lot, more recruits waited for their shift beside three older model fire engines that are used for training.
“We’re required to teach them from Firemen One Standard,” Boling said, “We do everything from medical to breathing to smoke [training]. We get them ready.”
Station 11 to open Dec. 1
And that’s a good thing, as far as the fire district and residents are concerned. CCCFPD Chief Jeff Carmen told the Clayton City Council earlier this month that the district is still too understaffed to reopen Station 11, Clayton’s only fire station, in August as had been previously announced, and will instead reopen Dec. 1.
Besides the 18 trainees ready to graduate the academy, a new academy begins in four- to-six weeks, Carmen said.
It was originally hoped that the $9.6 million SAFER grant awarded to the district in February would have allowed Station 11 to reopen, but instead the money was funneled to Concord’s Station 6, the busiest station in the district.