By Ivan Pereira
A Jamaica firehouse that is one of the busiest in the borough received a boost last week that will help its firefighters break down doors during emergencies.
The members of the FDNY’s Engine Co. 298, Ladder 127 and Battalion 50 at 153-11 Hillside Ave. were on hand last Thursday when it received a $10,000 grant and a new piece of training equipment.
The grant, awarded by the California-based Fireman’s Fund, will help pay for new computer and camera equipment that will be used to document high-risk fire areas and buildings to help the FDNY train for future emergencies, according to Capt. Robert Fenty, head of the engine company.
“Training is a key ingredient to hone our skills,” he said.
The firehouse, aka the Hillside Hurricanes, will also use the money to purchase a GPS navigation system to get to fires more rapidly and a treadmill. One of the most crucial additions for the firehouse will be a forcible entry simulator.
The simulator, a five-foot-tall modified door, is usually used at the FDNY’s training academy to help firefighters pry open locked or sealed doors with their axes and other equipment, according to Lt. Richard Garcia, who works at the academy. Garcia and two of the Hurricanes demonstrated how the device works by sealing the door and timing how long it took the firefighters to get it open.
“The best way to train is hands-on. You can show pictures, can show videos, but if you can’t do it hands-on, you can’t get better,” he said.
Deputy Chief James DiDomenico said the grant was beneficial to the FDNY because its funding has been hampered due to budget cuts.
“Now everyone knows that we are going through rough economic times, but no one told the fires or the emergencies we have economic problems,” he said.
The chief said the Hurricanes ranked No. 3 in the number of fire responses in Queens with more than 12,000 responses during the last 12 months. The firehouse was so busy it was called out during the middle of the forcible entry simulator when it received a call for an emergency.
The firehouse already has another simulator at the rear of the station that helps the firefighters train for high-rise emergencies. Firefighter Phil Milkovits, who has been with the Hurricanes for 11 years, welcomed the new tools to his station.
“We usually do training at the academy. When we have it here, we can train a lot better,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
