The Omaha Fire Department’s Training Division conducts CPT, or Continuous Professional Training, annually from January to November. CPT is an opportunity to hone current skills, learn new skills, and engage in unique training scenarios. Three sessions are held each year, each varying in topic and the type of training conducted, with the goal being that each OFD employee attends each session. These sessions cover fire operations, emergency medical services, and special operations. Four fire apparatus and one Battalion Chief attend CPT, out of service, for training each Monday through Friday.

Session one of 2015 CPT fell under the Special Operations umbrella. Topics included vehicle stabilization and vehicle extrication. It is important for our staff to stay current regarding the technology in new vehicles. Improved technology to make cars safer for passengers can make extricating patients more dangerous. It is important to be careful and avoid triggering any inactivated safety devices which can injure both passengers and firefighters if activated during the extrication process.

Training Division staff developed three evolutions to simulate the session one CPT objectives. First, each crew had the opportunity to use the extrication tools and practice different techniques to access patients. Second, crews used airbags, Paratech, and cribbing to raise an overturned school bus and retrieve a pinned mannequin. Finally, crews stabilized vehicles found in various positions including a three-car pile-up, vehicles resting on their sides, and vehicles resting on their top.

The success of CPT would not be possible without the assistance of these local companies who have donated their time and resources: Arrow Towing, City Impound, LKQ, State Farm Insurance, Danko, and Metropolitan Community College.