Read Chief Sward's account of the history of the Department.

Training

The dedicated and hard-working members of the Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department put in countless hours of training at the fire station and in classrooms. The result is a highly skilled group of unpaid experts who are prepared to fight fires, respond to medical emergencies, assist at accidents and tackle virtually any area emergency.

"It helps if you've lived in the community for at least a couple of years," explains Chief John Sward. "It takes that long to understand a place as unique as this."

Members of the department, 17 at last count, attend drills at the fire station on the second and third Wednesdays of the month from 7 PM to 9PM. In addition, drills are scheduled from 9 AM to noon on the last Sunday of the month. Volunteers learn from their peers about fighting fires using a variety of firefighting equipment, repairing equipment, and responding to other emergency situations. Occasionally the department attends drills at the training tower in Mill Valley. And that's just the beginning.

Volunteers are also encouraged to complete "first responder" training, a 52-hour course given either at Muir Beach or the county fire station on Thockmorton Ridge in Mill Valley. The course offers instruction in basic emergency medical procedures. Volunteers are trained to clear airways, control bleeding, apply splints and evaluate patients for shock. First responders are also trained to recognize unsafe scenes. At completion, volunteers receive a medical kit with essential supplies. To retain first responder certification, the course must be repeated every two years.

At least six MBVFD volunteers have also completed Emergency Medical Technician training, 160 hours of advanced instruction on pre-hospital medical procedures. As part of the training, EMT's spend eight hours in an ambulance and another eight hours in a hospital emergency room. Much of the training takes place at College of Marin's Indian Valley campus. The cost of all training, equipment and certification for all First Responder and EMT courses is paid for by the MBVFD. Refresher courses are required.

training EMT's may be required to determine the nature and extent of a patient's condition and ascertain whether there are preexisting medical problems. The EMT's treat patients with minor injuries on the scene of an accident or at their home without transporting them to a medical facility. They may use special equipment, such as backboards, to immobilize patients before placing them on stretchers and securing them in the ambulance for transport to a medical facility.

Training is never over. Volunteers are constantly receiving instruction on fire suppression, reading fire signs, methods of attacking wildland fires, sheltering in place, dealing with downed trees, electrical hazards, flood rescue, landslides, utilizing the "jaws of life," medical helicopter landing zone control, cliff and trail rescue, and a wide variety of other essential skills.

All it takes is time, interest, skill, training and incredible dedication.

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