This week's Monday Night Drill was a "Hydrant Service" drill for our Firefighters and an "EMS Back-to-Basics - Stair Chair & Stretcher Operations" drill for our EMTs.

The "Hydrant Service" drill had our Vista Firefighters servicing the dry hydrants as a preventative maintenance measure for the Vista Fire District. Conducting a hydrant service regularly allows motor pump operators to get water faster than they would when a hydrant may be obstructed with silt due to the seasons. While the Vista Firefighters serviced and checked all the dry hydrants in the district, it also gave those who have been driver training the opportunity to practice their pump panel skills.

The "EMS Back-to-Basics - Stair Chair & Stretcher Operations" drill had our Vista EMS personnel review how to operate the electric-hydraulic stretchers and stair chair devices located on each ambulance. Both of these tools are crucial in safely moving patients from their homes, or other places of injury, to the ambulance. Our members also reviewed how to manually override the electronic components of the stretcher in an event of a failure in the field. The stair chair is one of our most frequently used devices for patient packaging as it allows two members to traverse one or several flights of stairs with a patient on board, with ease. These two tools, coupled with a variety of other lifting and moving devices, provide Vista EMS personnel with the best possible options to get our patients into the ambulance.

If you are interested in being part of our team at the Vista FD, visit us any Monday night from 6:30pm - 9:30pm for more details or click the "Become a Member" tab at VistaFD.org!