I recently had the pleasure to spend some time with Chief Dave McGrail from the Denver Fire Department. Besides discussing high rise and stand pipe operations, we talked about the Denver Drill and the circumstances from which it was derived.
Most have heard the story of Mark Langvardt and the fire that took his life. The following videos show just how difficult it was for Denver firefighters to rescue firefighter Langvardt. You can see the desperation and helplessness on their faces as they work to exhaustion to save their downed Brother. They were doing everything that they could to rescue him and were met with almost impossible conditions and a situation that they were not familiar with.
This is why we need to learn the lessons that our Brothers and Sisters all over the country can teach us about training for situations like this. We must train for and be prepared for bad things to happen. We cannot take a day off from training and we have to take RIT seriously, no matter how “routine” the fire seems to be.
Please remember Mark Langvardt and the Denver Fire Department while watching these videos and all the others who have sacrificed. We owe it to them to train hard and often and to learn from those experiences.
Stay safe and be a Bulldog about training. It makes all the difference in the world.
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Please take a moment to read and SHARE this story. Kirk could really use our help right now. Kirk volunteers as 1st Asst. Chief at the Truman Fire Department in Truman Mn…and you should recognize that name. Kirk is Mark Langvardt’s brother. Mark was an engineer with Denver Firefighters Local 858 when he died in the line of duty. The incident that killed Mark lead to the Denver Drill and has surely saved many firefighter’s lives. Now, we get the chance to repay the Langvardt family…$1 or $1000…what ever you can give. Donate and share.
Please click on the links below to read more about our cause.
https://www.gofundme.com/firemandeniedtreat
https://www.facebook.com/Firemandeniedtreatment/
https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoFirefighter/posts/997942470255513
I am interested to know if the Denver Drill technique has ever been used in a lifesaving situation. We are building an “evidence based” training program within our department and assigning a rating system similar to the American Heart Association’s system. Any insight is appreciated
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