LFR, Rural fire departments hold critical, joint training session

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Battling house fires requires important training for both firefighters with Lincoln Fire and Rescue, as well as volunteer firefighters with rural agencies.

When both groups can train together, that’s even more important and beneficial for everyone involved. It’s rare, but it’s important for both sides in order to be able to work better together, and to prepare for those instances where one will have to call upon the other.

On Tuesday night, LFR, along with Bennet, Southwest, Southeast, and Hickman Volunteer Fire Departments all took part in a joint water shuttle exercise at a residence near 120th & Yankee Hill.

The idea of the training for LFR is to practice working with rural departments on fighting fires at larger properties, such as acreages. While there are some inside Lincoln city limits, they are few in total. Still, the goal for LFR is to get more comfortable with have those rural departments assist LFR in providing water to their rigs, in order to be able to adequately fight fires.

In those instances, where hydrants might be more difficult for LFR to access or hook up to, rural departments utilize portable water tanks that LFR can hook up to and then flow water to their fire engines to help fight the flames. Last night’s training exercise was just that.

Bennet Fire Chief Tim Norris tells 10/11 that everyone who took part in the training was pleased with how everything went.

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