The image we usually have of firefighters is battling flames and smoke, but there's a less glamorous part of the job that's just as important.
The saw operator cuts through doors and roofs so a fire can be attacked or people rescued. Firefighters from several departments are receiving that specialized training at the Omaha Fire Training Center this week.
The Regional Truck Academy teaches the quickest and safest way to saw into a garage or through steel bars. “Sometimes in commercial occupancies it’s not as easy as kicking a door down,” says OFD Chief Dan Miller. “You have to use saws and specialized tools to get through those doors.”
“We don't have access to props like this and training towers and stuff like this so it’s been very beneficial, so we'd like to thank OFD for letting us come out here, it’s been great,” says Mike Schuler with the Fremont Fire Department.
Some of the 25 firefighters attending the week-long course come from others states. Many of the props being cut up have been donated by Omaha area businesses.
