Stockton Firefighters Teach "VES Under Live Fire" Class

For nearly a decade, off-duty Stockton Firefighters have traveled to the California Training Officers Association Symposium to teach a class on 'Vent-Enter-Search' (VES). The Symposium is a week long annual event consisting of classes and hands-on-training for California firefighters; always hosted by the Fresno Fire Department. This year, Stockton Firefighters taught 'VES Under Live Fire' at a drill site by the Clovis Training Center. The 7 person Stockton cadre spent 8 hours last Sunday building out the drill site with props and training aides for the class. The 20 student class started Monday morning and participated in two days of drills. The drills focused on getting the students as many reps as possible. The cadre consisted of Stockton Firefighters with a range of 5 to 20 years of experience.

Vent-Enter-Search is an operation that occurs away from the primary entrance on a working structure fire. While the first firefighters on scene of a fire should always focus on establishing a working hose line to the seat of the fire; the firefighters in charge of Search may be forced to finds other means of entering the structure. If fire conditions slow progress or if there are reports of victims trapped in a specific area, a crew of firefighters might employ VES to enter a back bedroom to search for victims. That Search Group would begin by breaking the window and clearing the sash. One firefighter would enter the bedroom window, isolate the hallway door, and search the room. The second firefighter would wait at the sill (likely with a thermal imaging camera) and communicate with the searching firefighter. This can be a low frequency, high risk operation that needs to occur as fast and complete as possible.

This is an example of Stockton Firefighters conducting a VES and saving a victim at a 2 story, 3 alarm working fire:
   • Vent-Enter-Search (VES) Rescue • Work...  

This is an example of Stockton Firefighters conducting a VES at a single story, single family dwelling with no victims found:
   • Vent-Enter-Search • Single Story, Fla...  

We are proud to regularly participate in the Training Symposium, and pass our practical knowledge onto others.