Members from all South Sumter Departments assembled at the Ward Fire Department on Saturday, August 18th for drop tank and draft training.  All departments in the area are gearing up for a tanker shuttle drill on September 17th at the Whitfield Fire Station.  The concept of a tanker task force and its associated practices and purposes have been the topic of several training sessions for the past few months in anticipation of this drill.  Members present received some hands on time with the equipment used and the methods used on the apparatus to draw water from drop tanks.  Here are a few pictures from that warm Saturday morning.

Members setting up the drop tank off the Siloam Tanker.

Chief Pendergrass instructs the class.

Engineer Scrivner and Firefighter Odom prepare the hard suction for use with the drop tank.

Ward Asst. Chief Bragg instructs the class on how to properly hook up the equipment.  Bragg and several other South Sumter Members attended to the Rural Water Supply class the previous weekend that was put on by the Central Alabama Fire Attack Organization.

Members put the drop tank back on the tanker once the water has been pumped out.

The Chiefs of the South Sumter Fire Departments met to prepare a training calendar for the next three months.  August opened with Cuba Fire Department’s monthly meeting where some new members were put on the equipment and given a little time getting the feet “wet” so to speak.  While all new firefighters are slated to start a new 160 class in the fall of the year, it was decided that it never hurts to get started early with the training. 

Engineer Scrivner put new members through the operation of the engines. 

Chief Vaughan explains the combination nozzle to Probationary Firefighter Mullanex.

Probationary Firefighter/EMT Haynes goes through the same training evolution.