Fire Departments to Participate in Waterside Fire Drill

CAPE MAY – Members of the Coast Guard Training Center’s Fire Department along with members of the Cape May Fire Department and Town Bank Volunteer Fire Company are conducting a waterside fire drill on board the Training Center to measure the ability to fight a land-based fire using a water craft, Aug. 25, 2014.
The training evolution will determine whether the use of Town Bank’s fireboat, known as Marine 61-1, will be able to sufficiently supply a source of water pressure to a simulated fire approximately 2,000 feet away.
“This type of training goes a long way in ensuring that we know our capabilities and that we test those capabilities,” said Chris Walters, fire chief for the Coast Guard Training Center’s Fire Department.
Marine 61-1 has the ability to tie up to a dock and pump 5000 gallons per minute on a fire. The boat also carries 100 gallons of fire-suppressing foam. The goal of this particular training is to sustain a water supply of 1,500 gallons-per-minute as well as to develop a lessons learned list that would help improve response times in the event of an actual emergency in the future.
“The Town Bank Volunteer Fire Company and the Coast Guard Fire Department have had a working relationship for over 30 years,” said Louis Megonigal, the fire chief of Town Bank Volunteer Fire Company. “We have always been able to count on the Coast Guard for any response needed from them as they are able to count on us. We have a first response agreement with the Coast Guard so we see them on several emergency scenes throughout the year.”
The Coast Guard’s Fire Department has mutual aid agreements with surrounding areas to augment responder assets for emergencies in the City of Cape May, West Cape May, Cape May Point, Erma, Town Bank, Villas and Wildwood Crest.
“Regular training, as well as these agreements to support each other, enhances our abilities to respond as well as strengthens our relationships with our emergency-response partners outside of the base,” said Walters.
Members of the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Fire Department also provide fire and emergency services for approximately 500 permanent party military, civilians, contractors and approximately 4,500 recruits as well as tenant commands such as the Coast Guard Cutters Vigorous, Dependable, Finback and Mako.
All firefighters assigned to the Training Center Fire Department are certified as Tele-communicator I/II, Firefighter I/II, Hazardous Materials Technician, Driver Operator Pumper, Emergency Medical Technician and Confined Space Rescue Technician through the Department of Defense Firefighter Certification Program and International Fire Service Accreditation.