Credit: Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island
Everyday, we must count our blessings for having not only brave, but very skilled firefighters on our islands. Kauai Fire Department firefighters alone log over 400 hours of training each year, training that spans everything from "first responder training and fire operations to extraction, rope rescue, swift water rescue and hazmat."
From the Source:
“The skill set is great, and we don’t always use them,” he said. “We say the skills are perishable — if you don’t use it, they tend to fade on you. But again, it’s muscle memory and practice. Not just the formal practicing of coming to a workshop, but practicing in the field.”
"A lot of the scenarios firefighters train for are low frequency, high risk — meaning they don’t happen a lot, but when they do, it can have a dramatic effect on those involved, Vaughan said."