Multiple fire agencies participate in special operations training in Posey Co.

POSEY CO., Ind. (WFIE) - Black Township Fire welcomed over half a dozen agencies to their department on Saturday to refresh themselves on life-saving measures.

Officials say the hands-on training they have isn’t available everywhere, and they wanted to extend the invitation to as many departments as they could in the Tri-State.

“You’re not going to get that often in their hometowns, they may not have the budgets to do this type of stuff, and we have all of these instructors coming here for free putting in their time to teach,” said Jonathan Hancock, firefighter and instructor for Black Township Fire Department.

Hancock says the training is “special operations training,” and that it served to help firefighters refresh their skillset on life-threatening situations.

“Besides just firefighting, we do more including the realm of special operations, so this is a skill that everyone needs to be ready, be good at,” Hancock said.

Firefighters trained on four scenarios, all designated to mimic real-life events that they could come across.

“[The training] Brings awareness to the new members and also to the senior members that might need to refresh their skills,” said Kevin Brown, Public Information Officer for Black Township Fire Department,

The training focused on grain bin extrication, stabilizing vehicles in an accident, getting people out of cars involved in an accident, and body parts trapped in heavy machinery.

All are emergencies Tri-State fire departments encounter. In Posey County alone, officials say there have been four grain bin accidents in five years.

“With all the new cars and new technology we have to keep our awareness up,” Brown said.

At the training, there wasn’t just one instructor, each firefighter was able to share their opinions and knowledge on more efficient and safer ways to execute these situations.

Officials say each incident is unique, but the baseline training they’re able to provide can be the difference between life or death when it comes time to put the training to use.

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