SIDNEY — All first responders need training to keep their skills up-to-date and ready for an emergency. Sidney Fire Department is no different.
‘The crews have set it up through Canal Place management to have access to the building, and we’re just practicing post appointments in a high-rise building. We’re making sure the crews are proficient with hose deployment in upper floors of a high-rise building,” said Chief Bradley Jones.
There are some necessities that are unique to multi-rise buildings. One of these is the use of the standpipe. A standpipe is a vertical pipe that extends from a water supply, connecting a temporary tap to the water main.
“We need the structure of the building itself to each the upper floors. We hook the hose to the standpipe and supplement it with the hose from the fire engine,” said Jones.
The SFD was given the chance to use Canal Place Apartments at 121 W. Poplar for training on Aug. 7-8. The building contains six floors, five of which house residents of all ages.
“We’ve had a good working relationship with Canal Place in the past. They let us come in, and it gives us the chance to get back into a style of building that would require us to use the buildings structural system itself,” said Jones. “We have a handful of multiple floor buildings inside the town and industries in town with standpipes inside, so any opportunity we get to hone our fire suppression skills, we take advantage of it.”
