The fire department saw, whether a rotary saw or a chainsaw, is one of the most important tools in our equipment inventory. Our saws do their share of the dirty work, from vertical ventilation to forcible entry.
Have you ever taken time to watch a skilled craftsman use their tools? They make the work look so easy, you might wonder how they got so good. More than likely, it was years of practice and repetition. They know the tool inside and out-how to operate it, clean it and take care of it.
If you and your crew are going to be true craftsmen with your saws, you must take them out and use them. Just starting them at the beginning of each shift or on training night doesn’t get it done.
Training Props
Good saw training, like all forcible-entry training, takes time and preparation, because unlike the craftsman who hones his skills by building things, we hone ours by tearing things up. Following are a couple of good training props to help get you going.
Roof simulator: Lay out wood pallets side by side to cover a 4′ x 8′ area. Nail down plywood decking so the plywood doesn’t move when you start cutting.
Instruct each member to make long cuts using either a chainsaw or rotary saw with a wood blade. This exercise should help them get a feel for how to rate their cutting speed and when they can expect to hit the support members of the wooden pallets.
This is a good time to teach them how to roll the rafters so the saw won’t cut through structural supporting members. (Rolling the rafters involves cutting until you can feel the rafter, then moving the saw so you only cut through the material covering the rafter.)
Note: Ensure each saw operator wears the correct personal protective equipment (PPE), including eye protection. Also, instruct one member to act as a guide so the saw operator doesn’t step backward off the edge of the pallets while cutting.
Cutting stand: I saw this idea several years back in an International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) Instructorgram. It’s made with an old roof ladder cut into two pieces and bolted together to form an A-frame. You can insert a metal rod or rebar through the rungs and hold it in place with a pair of vise grips on the side opposite where the cutting operation is being performed.
Note: To make the most of each rod, each member should only cut small pieces of material. Also, move the rods higher or lower on the ladder to increase difficulty. Not all our cutting jobs are at waist level.
Chalk chainsaw: This training aide is from noted author and lecturer Battalion Chief (Ret.) John Mittendorf of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
Using a few pieces of ?” PVC pipe, fittings and a couple of sticks of children’s sidewalk chalk, you can build your own “chalk chainsaw.” The advantage: Members can practice cutting techniques without destroying building materials. To use it, lay out a few old 2 x 4s on the truck room floor and instruct each member to demonstrate the correct order for making cuts while performing vertical ventilation.
You can also use your chalk chainsaw on buildings in your response area to mark how you would open the roof of each type of building.
To build your own, you’ll need one 9″ x ?” PVC pipe, one 6″ x ?” PVC pipe, one 10″ x ?” PVC pipe, one 18″ x ?” PVC pipe, one ?” PVC 45-degree elbow, one 1 ?” PVC tee, one ?” PVC coupler and one book of children’s sidewalk chalk.
The really nice thing about the chalk chainsaw? It always starts!
Drill 1: Saw Practice
Setting: Your training area
Time: 10 minutes per person per workstation, plus lecture time before the evaluation and follow-up
Equipment Needed: Props outlined above, and saws
Step 1: Using the props outlined above, set up two cutting stations.
Step 2: Explain the operations of each type of saw being used, including starting instructions and safety guidelines.
Step 3: Explain how to make different types of cuts and the importance of rolling the rafters to keep from cutting the supporting members.
Step 4: Instruct members to don proper PPE, choose a workstation and practice different types of cuts.
Step 5: After each member has made several cuts, rotate to the next station.
Step 6: Review the steps necessary to clean, fuel and replace blades or chains on each unit before returning it to service.
Drill 2: Vertical Ventilation
Setting: Your training building, a training prop or a structure in your response area
Time: 1 hour
Equipment Needed: Apparatus, tools used for vertical ventilation, chalk chainsaw
Step 1: Select a building that you can ladder and go to the roof of. This can be your training building or a building in your response area (with the owner’s permission).
Step 2: Instruct the members to don full PPE. Describe the fire conditions and instruct your crew to simulate vertical ventilation as they would at a working fire, following your department’s standard operating procedures.
Step 3: Ask members to use the chalk chainsaw to demonstrate where they would open the roof. Review their responses as a group.
Step 4: After completing the operations, review proper ladder placement, secondary means of egress, tool assignments and opening placement.
