Area firefighters train for extrication emergencies
Access Team member Steve Laite, second from left, explains how some of the tools work to some of the newest members of the Access Team in training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Training with Lincolnville's Hurst hydraulic spreader, equipment purchased by the town of Lincolnville from the defunct Camden First Aid Association. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Rockport Fire Lt. Bill Lane peels back a windshield. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Reviewing equipment and other details before live extrication equipment training for Camden firefighters Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Camden firefighters train on extrication equipment Aug. 3 on donated vehicles at Camden Exxon. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Hope firefighter Ginny Ryan uses a halogen bar to attempt entry into the tailgate of a van during access team training in Camden Tuesday night. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Access team training Aug. 6 at Camden Exxon. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A sawsall makes quick and clean work of a windshield, allowing it to be pulled away in a solid piece. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Young of Lincolnville demonstrates how to use a hydraulic spreader to open the tailgate on an overturned van. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen, left, and firefighter/paramedic Justin Hills. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville firefighter Mike Eugley and Rockport firefighter Phil Brown. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
John Wickenden, left, was recently named Rockport Asst. Fire Chief, and Todd Philbrook went from Asst. Fire Chief to Deputy Chief. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Camden firefighters training with it s extrication eqiupment Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Camden firefighters training on its new extrication equipment at Camden Exxon Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camdent Fire Dept.)
Rockport Fire Lt. Bill Lane operates Lincolnville's Hurst hydraulic spreader. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Laite and Lincolnville Asst. Fire Chief Peter Rollins work with a hand-cranked spreader. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
This spreader is operated by hand, like a jack, (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Young firefighters and access team members learn how to use the powerful tools of the job. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Laite owns Camden Exxon, where both training days were held recently. In addition to being an access team member, Laite is called on to tow most vehicles from crash scenes in Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The new access team includes some young, new firefighters from Hope and Lincolnville. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Hope firefighter and access team member Ginny Ryan. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley and retired Rockport Fire Chief Bruce Woodward chat while watching Tuesday night's extrication training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A van is rolled back onto its wheels for further training work. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Rockport firefighter Phil Brown, left, and Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville firefighter Todd Young and Hope firefighter Ginny Ryan.
The scene at Camden Exxon on Union Street in Camden Tuesday night during access team extrication training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Access Team member Steve Laite, second from left, explains how some of the tools work to some of the newest members of the Access Team in training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Training with Lincolnville's Hurst hydraulic spreader, equipment purchased by the town of Lincolnville from the defunct Camden First Aid Association. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Rockport Fire Lt. Bill Lane peels back a windshield. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Reviewing equipment and other details before live extrication equipment training for Camden firefighters Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Camden firefighters train on extrication equipment Aug. 3 on donated vehicles at Camden Exxon. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Hope firefighter Ginny Ryan uses a halogen bar to attempt entry into the tailgate of a van during access team training in Camden Tuesday night. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Access team training Aug. 6 at Camden Exxon. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A sawsall makes quick and clean work of a windshield, allowing it to be pulled away in a solid piece. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Young of Lincolnville demonstrates how to use a hydraulic spreader to open the tailgate on an overturned van. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen, left, and firefighter/paramedic Justin Hills. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville firefighter Mike Eugley and Rockport firefighter Phil Brown. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
John Wickenden, left, was recently named Rockport Asst. Fire Chief, and Todd Philbrook went from Asst. Fire Chief to Deputy Chief. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Camden firefighters training with it s extrication eqiupment Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camden Fire Dept.)
Camden firefighters training on its new extrication equipment at Camden Exxon Aug. 3. (Courtesy Camdent Fire Dept.)
Rockport Fire Lt. Bill Lane operates Lincolnville's Hurst hydraulic spreader. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Laite and Lincolnville Asst. Fire Chief Peter Rollins work with a hand-cranked spreader. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
This spreader is operated by hand, like a jack, (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Young firefighters and access team members learn how to use the powerful tools of the job. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Steve Laite owns Camden Exxon, where both training days were held recently. In addition to being an access team member, Laite is called on to tow most vehicles from crash scenes in Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The new access team includes some young, new firefighters from Hope and Lincolnville. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Hope firefighter and access team member Ginny Ryan. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley and retired Rockport Fire Chief Bruce Woodward chat while watching Tuesday night's extrication training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A van is rolled back onto its wheels for further training work. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Rockport firefighter Phil Brown, left, and Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Lincolnville firefighter Todd Young and Hope firefighter Ginny Ryan.
The scene at Camden Exxon on Union Street in Camden Tuesday night during access team extrication training. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
CAMDEN — The Camden Exxon lot was littered with broken vehicles Tuesday evening, but of the dozens of junkers waiting to be towed by insurance companies and others awaiting service and repair, three had “Access Team” written boldly in white on their windows.
Twenty firefighters from Rockport, Lincolnville and Hope gathered at the service station on Union Street in Camden for access team training Aug. 6. It was the group’s first training as the new access team, which will be called on when a crash or accident requires the strength of hydraulic cutters and spreaders and the expertise to know where it’s safe to apply those tools to today’s vehicles.
Last Saturday, Camden firefighters also spent a day training at Camden Exxon, using recently purchased Holmatro rescue equipment.
Both days, firefighters learned the safest places to cut through doors and roofs, how to spread metal and joints and the safest ways to block vehicles from rolling and sliding while working on them.
Presently, Camden has its own equipment, as does Lincolnville, the latter acquired from Camden First Aid Association, which ceased operation July 1 and had been home to Camden Access and its equipment, though its members hailed from different area fire departments. Camden’s training last weekend was for its firefighters, and Tuesday night’s training was for the new Access Team, comprised of former members of Camden Access and at least eight new people.
Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen said that the new access team currently has 22 members, give or take one or two.
“Our first meeting was in Hope back in June and everyone who attended was very interested in keeping a dedicated access team going,” said Hazen.
During the time that Camden First Aid’s future was up in the air earlier this summer, Camden made the decision to purchase its own equipment and begin training on it. Rockport is also in the process of purchasing their own equipment, and for now, if they get an access call, Rockland Fire Department has committed to providing access coverage.
But that coverage won’t be free after Rockport’s equipment arrives, and the access team’s equipment is currently owned by the town of Lincolnville and housed there, which is why Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley said Rockport needs to have its own equipment on hand sooner rather than later.
“We’ll all be ready with equipment, and the trained people will come from a variety of areas,"’ said Peasley. “Not everyone on the team can respond every time, so it’s good to have a large team representing a large area.”
And if the emergency is really serious, and requires many hands, the towns will be well covered with equipment and trained operators.
“We may be doing some separate training, but we’ll eventually be coming together and training on each other’s equipment, getting ready to work together like we do fighting big fires,” said Hazen.
Related stories:
• Camden First Aid rescue tools find home in Lincolnville
• North East Mobile hires 11 Camden First Aid staff members
Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.
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Camden, ME 04843
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