Island firefighters undergo training at theater, housing facility
Crews from the fire districts on both Sanibel and Captiva had the opportunity to participate in some hands-on training in two unfamiliar environments in recent weeks thanks to the Johnson family.
With the Island Cinema and Periwinkle Adventures — a housing facility for Bailey’s staffers — scheduled to be demolished as part of a large-scale redevelopment project that is underway for the Bailey’s Shopping Center, the Johnson family extended an invitation to the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District and the Captiva Island Fire Control District to utilize the two structures for any training.
Dane Johnson explained that the community is always a focus for his family and while offering the opportunity does not directly help the island, it does help to ensure the safety of the community.
“To us it’s important because we see the fire districts every day, and we want them to do the best that they can do to keep the community safe,” he said, adding that training is an important piece of that.
Sanibel fire Division Chief of Training Tim Barrett agreed.
“We were fortunate Dane was able to get us access to this place,” he said at the movie theater.
“As much as we can do simulations in the (training) tower, they know every inch of that place,” Barrett added, explaining that unfamiliar environments with obstacles like furniture force the crews to work.
Captiva fire Lt. Shawn Kilgore echoed that.
“A big thanks to Bailey’s for passing it along and to our chiefs for coordinating, for getting the two districts together to train,” he said. “It’s such valuable training. We’re able to do so much more.”
Over the past two weeks, the districts rotated between morning and afternoon training shifts.
On Jan. 11-13, the Sanibel crews focused on interior operations and search-and-rescue, specifically RIT or Rapid Intervention Team, training at the cinema. Barrett explained that at every fire incident, one crew is the designated RIT. If a firefighter goes down or gets lost, its job is to rescue that crew member.
“When we’re fighting a fire or doing a search for victims, we put ourselves in dangerous situations,” he said, noting that firefighters have limited resources, such as air. “We need to be able to get them out.”
The crews ran through different training scenarios, with their fellow “victim” firefighter located in a different spot each time. They also trained on using thermal imagery equipment as a search tool.
“The scenario changes with every evolution,” Barrett said.
On Jan. 12-13, the Captiva crews had the opportunity to train at the theater. Kilgore explained that training on the first day also focused on RIT drills, again with a couple of different evolutions.
“You’re exclusively there for one reason,” he said. “It’s to get your people out if something happens.”
“It was a four-member crew. I served as the lost guy,” Kilgore added. “So they had to search through and find me in very low visibility. They all had thermal imaging cameras and hand tools.”
On the second day, the crews focused on their first due drills.
“Your job is to get there, pull a hand line, locate the seat of the fire, and then put the fire out,” he said. “Just a very bread-and-butter classic drill, but in a different building with different obstacles.”
“It’s practice, it’s repetition, it’s keeping everything right,” Kilgore added.
On Jan. 19, both island districts were able to conduct training at Periwinkle Adventures.
Kilgore explained that the Captiva crews did some search-and-rescue scenarios with a possible victim reported. With 13 units in the facility, it provided a number of bedrooms and spaces to be searched.
“There’s a whole lot of bedrooms inside that structure,” he said.
Barrett reported that the Sanibel crews also participated in search-and-rescue training.
“On a ground level with multiple rooms,” he said, noting that they also did some forcible entry.
Because the employee housing facility is being demolished as part of the project, the Johnson family has included in the redevelopment design a plan to donate an approximately two-acre parcel to the city of Sanibel and Community Housing and Resources for them to use it for below market rate housing.