Lawmakers, media get crash course in firefighting

Lessons from some of Metro Detroit's finest

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – Lawmakers and media received a crash course in firefighting and emergency response training.

Jason Colthorp suited up in 50 pounds of gear and got a lesson from some of Metro Detroit's finest.

The special first responder training was held in Auburn Hills and those receiving the training worked together in teams of four.

They started with medical emergency emergency response training and then learned how to remove someone from a vehicle with the jaws of life.

"Because of our training we're going to be calm, we're gonna come up with a plan. And then we just go to work based on our muscle memory of what we're trained to do," Captain Chris Smith with the Southfield Fire Department said.

Facing off against actual flames adds another 30 pounds of gear so the responders can breathe.


About the Authors:

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.