Firefighters use Harper as training ground

Harper College hosted more than 100 local firefighters in an extensive fall training exercise Thursday where they practiced the rescue of fallen, lost and trapped colleagues in large buildings.

The drill, in Buildings G and H on the main campus, involved on-duty firefighters from the Palatine and Rolling Meadows fire departments and the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District all departments that would respond to Harper in the case of an actual emergency. They located and removed “victims both mannequins and real firefighters who were low on air, tangled in wires or trapped by debris.

“The rescue of a firefighter is one of the most challenging problems we face, said Paul Wallis, a Palatine Fire Department Division Chief coordinating the drill. “Training like this helps our officers with decision-making, and helps them see how their crew performs the assigned tasks.

The training, Wallis said, also familiarizes firefighters with Harper's campus. His own first fire as a Palatine lieutenant was in a basement storeroom of the college's Building A, and though the smoke prevented him from seeing into the room, his familiarity with the area's layout a byproduct of fire inspections he'd done previously on campus gave him the confidence to crawl in and find the fire.

“On-campus training gives us an opportunity to train on tactics for similar-sized buildings, he said, “and helps us get to know the campus better. Buildings G and H are undergoing renovations, and are not currently in use.