Donegal Civil Defence hosted the first ever Northern Regional Intercounty Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) Training Day on Saturday 24th November at its headquarters in Stranorlar.
36 participants including volunteers from Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan took part in the training day which was about creating a greater level of awareness and understanding of the role of the Auxiliary Fire Service within Civil Defence and the local authority so that volunteers are better prepared to respond to fire related situations that arise within their own county and regionally.
The training also allowed participants to gain a better understanding and appreciation for health and safety and mandatory training and familiarise themselves on the importance of the correct and appropriate use of signs and lighting, the equipment on a fire appliance, its ancillary equipment and the Fire Services Council standard operating guidelines.
The day commenced with talks on health, safety and legislation, PPE familiarisation, equipment familiarisation and standard operating guidelines delivered by Brendan Buckley, Monaghan Civil Defence Officer and Mickey Feeney AFS Instructor.
Workshops in the morning were facilitated by Fintan Cooney, and Donal Treanor, AFS Instructors from Cavan and allowed participants to gain valuable knowledge on the different types of hoses, hose reels, hose management and maintenance.
The importance of scene safety, proper signage, and appropriate lighting was delivered by Charles Fitzsimons, Cavan Civil Defence, and James Speers, AFS Cavan delivered an excellent workshop on Portable Pumps and the Main Pump.
In the afternoon, volunteers had the opportunity to put into practice the learning gained at the earlier workshops. The day, which was a valuable learning for everyone involved concluded with a cross section debrief which will be used to formulate the planning for follow-on training.