Playing dodge ball can save a firefighter's life - Hutchinson News
If you can dodge a ball, you can dodge a fire. Firefighters of the Hutchinson Fire Department had a friendly yet informative game of dodgeball inside the gymnasium of the department’s Command and Training Center Wednesday morning. The purpose behind the competition was to conserve oxygen as they increased their heart rate, plunking their fellow firemen to exhaust their oxygen while in full gear, like they would battling massive flames. “If they get into a position where they get trapped or stuck somewhere and they can’t get out of a building, and we have to send somebody in to get them, we want them to be able to make their air last as long as possible until we can get to them... Slinging the ball sidearm to adjust to the bulky suit, pirouetting to dodge a ball hurled at them or even diving out of the way, is not an easy feat in 60-pound gear. Once their air dwindled to reserve levels, the futuristic sounds of beeping and vibrations, flickering red lights and the clanking of gear alerted the firemen of the next phase. They found a comfortable spot to lie down and went to full air conservative mode as their low-air alarm continued to signal. Source: www.hutchnews.com
