What's Happening in Olivette, MO…

The Olivette Fire Department held a training day recently to make certain everyone was clear on the latest practices and techniques for relay pumping, and the VEIS (Vent, Enter, Isolate, Search) process.

Relay pumping is used when water cannot be brought from a source directly to a fire. Instead, the water has to be relayed from its location to the fire via a number of fire engines. In order for this technique to be effective, the water pressure has to be constant. This practice can also be used if one of the pumpers breaks down.

The VEIS training is a technique for searching a burning building when other methods are not practical. During a fire, personnel typically use a search and rescue (SAR) method that is done in two steps. First, a “down and dirty” search is done by a crew that goes through the building even while conditions are still hazardous. They look for victims in areas nearest the fire, then work outwards. After the fire is controlled, a secondary, much more methodical, search is performed.

However, when this two-step process cannot be used, the VEIS protocol is used. Here, a minimum of two firefighters ventilate a window, enter the room, isolate an escape route, and rapidly search the room. The crews have to be proficient in this technique, so the department practices several times annually. Poster printing can be used to create Signs listing the steps of this technique.


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