Prevention

One of the key points of the work of firefighters is prevention, this way it is avoided and taught to avoid major ills.

Prevention begins on its own, following the rules or guidelines established in any field:

Traffic code to avoid traffic accidentsCleaning forests and avoiding forest fires or their rapid spreadCivilism in the rural world when we go out in the mountains to avoid dirt that can cause firesComply with domestic regulations by checking Gas, Electricity, Water, etc.Our safety in the home with utensils and household chores, medicines, pets, fireplaces etc.Security in companies, prevention and occupational hazards, appropriate protective equipment, etc.Get equipped in accordance with the sport you do and the time of the 'year

Another job of preventing firefighters is to give advice to different groups, schools, nursing homes, etc.

School visits are also made to the Fire Parks, and the role they play in society, the work they do and the lives of firefighters in the Park are explained, as well as teaching materials and vehicles.

The most rural Fire Parks, which in their area have forests and high density of vegetation nearby, do prevention work by checking the roads of the Road Network so that in the summer when the Forest Campaign enters into force, they are clean by the circulation of fire trucks in case of forest fire as well as keeping the hydrant network in good condition in order to be able to fill the truck.

Extinguishing a fire is the phase with which firefighters must take care not only to extinguish the fire, but to prevent its spread, to verify what kind of fuel is burning, to know if there are dangers. added like other fuels nearby and to know what kind of extinguishing agent to use to make it effective in that fire.

There are many maneuvers for extinguishing a fire, depending on its type, such as an industry, a home or a forest fire. The equipment in each of them is different and the items to use as well. When the first vehicle arrives, it must verify the magnitude of the fire, if there are victims or people trapped, assess the possible damage and look for the most appropriate maneuver to extinguish that fire. Firefighters always go into a fire in pairs (pairs) or in trios, as safety takes precedence over any risk.

There are many extinguishing agents (water, foams, dust, etc.) and each fire must be extinguished with the most appropriate, as otherwise the fire could get worse.

The most everyday example are the fire extinguishers we have at our fingertips, at home, on the stairs of our building, at work, in malls, and so on.

We usually have two essential types, ABC dust and CO2 (also called carbonic snow).

The first is a powder called ABC and is mainly used in fires that generate embers, such as wood, cardboard, clothes, etc. The second contains a gas (carbon dioxide) that comes out of the container at a very low temperature, for that the spear of the fire extinguisher is like a kind of trumpet, so as not to burn our hands. It is usually used in electrical fires such as household appliances, power cables, etc. We must keep in mind that it is not advisable to use CO2 fire extinguishers indoors. Water is the quintessential extinguishing agent and the best known, you must know in which cases to use it and always it should be as powdered as possible.

Rescue is one of the most important jobs we firefighters do, so we have equipment to carry out rescues.

For more technical rescues, there are specialized groups that are activated for these tasks.

Firefighters who do mountain rescues and aquatic rescues are the GRAE (Special Action Group) and have different bases to cover the entire territory.

Currently, mountain and water rescue units are differentiated, but both have the common name of GRAE.

Diving experts are concentrated on a base in Cerdanyola. The units specialized in mountain rescue and places with difficult access are based in the professional parks of Cerdanyola, La Seu d'Urgell and Olot, and in the volunteer parks of La Pobla de Segur, Camprodon and Vielha.

Firefighters, we must be in continuous training to be aware of new rescue techniques, extinction, health, etc.

Firefighters need to have notions of many areas: the ISPC

Health training to be able to save or avoid a worsening of the lives of the people we attend. Rescue, knowing the basic techniques suitable for rescuing animals and sheep. Training in traffic accidents, to be able to assist people who they have been the victims of an accident and being able to get them out safe and sound without aggravating their condition. Electricity, due to the possible causes of a fire and the dangerous incompatibility with water, which is our main element of extinction. Hydrodynamics and hydrostatics, to know the need for flow and / or pressure necessary for each type of incendiGas, knowledge of the different installations and conduits of pipes and the different behaviors with the fire. Driving, to know the operation of all the different types of vehicles that are used in the interventions. Construction, to know the different constructive elements in the buildings or singular houses and how these react before the fire to the high temperatures or the col · Lapse due to detachment or other causes.

The training of firefighters is mostly done at the ISPC (Institute of Public Security of Catalonia). The regulated training is done by trainers who are firefighters specialized in a subject, then training is also done in the Parks, in which all kinds of practices are done, including special vehicles, in which we move to the reference Park where there is these vehicles, such as the rescue van, the nurse truck, the ladder truck, the chemical risk van, etc.

Forest fires

The forest fires that sell us in the near future

Documentary on new generation forest fires

Video presentation of the Fire Department

What do firefighters do

corporate videos teaching the Fire Department

Members of the fire brigade

Here you will find videos of the different jobs of firefighters

Different explanatory videos of the staff that integrates the fire brigade