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| Photos by Jennifer McClelland and Battalion Chief Doug Osterhouse |
Recently, the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department developed a training program named the Parkway Terrace Project. The Parkway Terrace Project is an opportunity for firefighters throughout Prince George's County to develop, maintain and critique their firefighting and rescue skills.
The Parkway Terrace Apartment Complex is located on Parkway Terrace Drive in PGFD's third Battalion. These apartments, constructed shortly after World War II, are currently being renovated. However, there are several buildings throughout the complex that are being used by the Parkway Terrace Project leaders to instruct our safety personnel.
On Saturday, January 6, 2001 the Capitol Heights Volunteer Fire Department (Company 5) and the Cottage City Volunteer Fire Department (Company 2) participated in the daily training exercises. During the drill, the firefighters did three training evolutions; Firefighters had no advance knowledge of the simulations about to take place. Crews were dispatched to the scene and were to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
After the exercises were complete, the crews went back to a briefing room where they critiqued their performance. During the critique, each evolution was discussed thoroughly by both the participants and the instructors. Every participant came away with a better understanding of themselves and how to
improve their performance.