By Ronnie Robertson

Advance Fire Dept.

ADVANCE – Just ask anyone that had a part in the 6th annual Advance Fire Camp and they will tell you it was a success.  The camp, open to rising 6th-9th graders, gives campers a glimpse of  what firefighters do every day.

Camp began Monday, June 18 at 8:30 with pledge, prayer, review of the rules and a quick tour  of the fire station. All campers then mounted the fire trucks for a ride to the first activity.

The morning exercise involved fire hose deployment, advancement, and nozzle operation. Everyone took a turn as nozzle person, and hose backup persons as they advanced the charged  line and then hit a target.

To promote a spirit of team work, campers were placed on two  teams and a competitive version of the old time bucket brigade was held.

The morning ended with a lesson on sprinkler operations and each camper having to wedge off a flowing sprinkler  head.  Following lunch,  it was back to the trucks and off to the evening session.

Campers were instructed about the protective turnout gear and breathing equipment (SCBA) firefighters wear.  Everyone practiced putting all the gear and SCBA on.  Then the competition began to  determine who could get their gear on the quickest.

Tuesday began much the same with pledge, prayer, and review of the rules.  Then a close up view of the fire trucks and the types of equipment they carry.

The morning activitycentered around two wrecked cars and how to extricate injured people from them. All the campers were able to work with extrication tools and help remove a victim.

The evening began

with DECON. Campers were contaminated with flour and learned how the decontamination wash is done. After everyone changed into dry clothes, the evening was spent learning CPR, how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, and other first aid techniques.

The final day began as all the others.  Following pledge and prayer, the campers began a round robin of events that included, repelling, knot tying, dressing in gear and SCBA and crawling through a smoke-filled room to rescue a teddy bear.  They also went up in the aerial ladder, and identified firefighting tools on the trucks.

The morning session finished with a visit and  demonstration by the Davie County Sheriff Department K9 unit.

In the evening, campers participated in a tag team version of the Firefighter Challenge Competition.  The last activity was learning about fire behavior and flashover.  A flashover box was used to contain a fire and the campers were able to use a fire hose to control it.

The camp concluded with a hot dog/hamburger cookout for campers and their families.  The campers put on a demonstration of the Firefighter Challenge and were presented certificates.