Fire Picket Training?

[yellowjacket]

I've heard that the Army does basic firefighting training for personnel to allow them to handle fire picket duty.

Can anyone outline what this consists of, and the equipment available for this work?

[Gunner Al]

LOL!!!!
On camp last year in the Glen I was put on fire picket on the second last day.
I thought to myself "nice one, this should be interesting!!".
Oh was I wrong!!

We were brought around the camp at 9am that morning at all the fire hoses were pointed out to us. Then we were brought to a wooden shack in the middle of the camp and told "stay here untill midnight". So four of us(3 gunners and a corprol) had to sit in that room for 15 hours that day doing sweet f**k all. It was pretty boring and as for training, we weren't even told how to turn the pumps on or anything like that!

[Big Al]

we washed the transit van's on fire picket many moons ago, of course you have to find a hose doesnt leak toooo much

[Bailer]

Fire Piquet training??

Unroll the Hose plug it into the Hydrant flush it out, then check it for holes, then roll all the water out (stop the already rotting hose from rotting more) roll the hose back up. Go and sit in the Fire Picqut shed for another few hours!

Best Day to be on FP was the Last day of Camp in the Glen when you got to Was the Toilets out woohoo

[Thorpe]

Ive been on fire picket twice in two different and Im in the RDF 3 yaers and one bit of fire picket training.
Only time I saw a fire drill was on the pso in kilworth last year. I`ll saw no more on that

[Ex-soldier]

I was trained when the Dublin Fire Brigade went on strike and it went as follows:

1. 650 men show up at the Curragh.
2. 650 men don breathing apparatus and fire protection gear and are told to run up and down the water tower stairs while using the breathing apparatus. One by one the men collapse and are treated by medics on scene.
3. By the end of the day there are about 100 men still standing. These 100 become qualified on the breathing apparatus and learn fire fighting and rescue techniques inside buildings.
4. The rest of the men are now divided into driver / engineers, outside hose operators and vehicle cutting crews.
5. The 650 men split up and train individually in their respective trade for as long as possible before the inevitable strike begins.
6. The strike begins and the men report to different locations around the city in their brand new fire trucks or cutting vehicles along with garda motor cycle escorts.
7. The men work 24 hours on and 24 hours off until the end of the strike.

[old rec]

Oh the joys. 4 1/2 days Merchant Marine Fire Training in a cement "ship" in the UK.

Almost three years on vlcc's, hoping nothing would happen.

7 days at camp per year teaching people which end the water comes out of. And I'm still a recruit. Happy days my friends happy days!

[T.I.M.]

Fire Piquet training??

Whats that? recentily on the eastern pots course i found myself on fire piquet training! all i got is a big stick with a rubber mat on the end and was sent head first into the fires in sallys gap/kippur area! and i can say hand on heart that i NEVER want to repeat that experience again!

[DeV]

Whats that? recentily on the eastern pots course i found myself on fire piquet training! all i got is a big stick with a rubber mat on the end and was sent head first into the fires in sallys gap/kippur area! and i can say hand on heart that i NEVER want to repeat that experience again!

That wasn't fire piquet training that was ATCP.

[FMolloy]

Is the fire-fighting equipment in the Glen still completely worthless? Burst hoses, broken step-up keys etc.?

[Truck Driver]

Unroll the Hose plug it into the Hydrant flush it out, then check it for holes, then roll all the water out (stop the already rotting
hose from rotting more) roll the hose back up. Go and sit in the Fire Picqut shed for another few hours....

Have had a couple of fire picket stints too.... As per what Bailer says, but
with a couple of additions:


Unroll the Hose plug it into the Hydrant flush it out, trying to
drown the Coy Comdr (sorry sir, trying to get accustomed to the hose
pressure - sir. Are you very wet - sir? Sorry about that - sir !)
then check it for holes, then roll all the water out starting
at the hydrant end of the hose (stop the already rotting
hose from rotting more) roll the hose back up. Go and sit in the Fire
Picquet shed for another few hours...

[Muzzle]

I know a few lads who did a weeks camp with another unit just to do dutys (mainly fire picket). They brought a PS2, a TV, a load of DVD's and games and a toasted sandwich maker and had a great week of doin nothing and getting paid for it.

I did picket training and similar experiences to everyone else. Bit more info on the diferant extinguishers and what we were to do if the wordt happend. hose was a bit of fun for 5 mins.

[Truck Driver]

God be with the days (before the new wash blocks in Lahinch Camp) when the fire
picket had to ensure

1. The water tank on the roof of the old wash block was filled before evening
showers
2. The furnace was kept stoked up (to heat the same water)
3. The jacks were hosed out too over the course of a week's camp too, if
memory serves me correctly (I'm thinking pre-females members in the FCA)

[rod and serpent]

I did fire picket twice as part of a team our only training was there is the hose, there is the pump in the event of a fire sound the alarm.

[hptmurphy]

Fire piquet is a joke.....ateded a camp in ballincioolig many years ago when a gentleman aledged to be acorporal insisted on runining the hose from the fire to the tender.....I question the reaasoning and was tol to mind my own business and was duly paraded into the ordrley officer who was incline to agree with the corporal....i began to tut and nod my head....and when I was asked Why I was being insubordinate......I mentioned that I had little tolerance for fools....both men were livid my own CS was called for and he too noddedd and tutted and thenbegan to explain to theses gentlemen that in fact I had ben promoted to Junior Officer under the Civil Aviations Authourity traing process in Teeside UK...having spent the previuos three months on site and thre years working as an airport firefighter......


so after much I told you so i gave the handiest week flushing out mains pressure testing hoses '''having equipment repaired ...checking smoke alarms and appliances...having my own driver for the week and generally keeping the place in good order for the week....no duties or parades and endless trips to the stores in cork to accquire bits and pieces......


Now if they had asked nicely athe the start they could have saved themselves all that grief.

Most country units have retained firemen on their books and in our unit they are tasked with checking the gear ,escapes alarms etc....and most barrack OCs welcome this as it comes as a freebie