GLENVILLE

A car has been involved in a serious accident with someone trapped inside in desperate need of help. Glenville Volunteer Fire Company firefighters race to the scene and pry open the vehicle with the jaws of life, rescuing the driver.

This exercise last week was a simulation conducted by the volunteer firefighters as part of a presentation to the community. Nearly 25 people came out Wednesday night to the firehouse to get an up close look at the equipment, hear more about everything the fire department does and watch the training put into action.

"We want to get people more involved with their community to see what we do," Glenville Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Gino Furano said. "There's a lot of people who are interested in the firehouse and what goes on here."

The idea for the event came after the success of the Greenwich Police Department's Citizens Police Academy, which has allowed residence to see firsthand what it's like to be a police officer in town, Furano said. Furano is one of the more than 600 residents who have gone through the program.

Training is a regular part of any volunteer firefighter's life. There are mandatory company drills once a month and townwide drills twice a month, Furano said. Outside of that, he said, members of the Glenville Volunteers regularly get together on weekends to conduct training.

"The kind of extraction we're showing people here is a reality of what we have to do," Furano said. "We go to a lot of motor vehicle accidents and thankfully, sometimes the victim is able to get out on their own uninjured. But there are times when they need our assistance to get out of that vehicle. People in the community do donate cars for us to be able to use in our extraction drills. There's nothing better than being able to use a real vehicle."

During the exhibition, visitors of the firehouse were on hand when a real call came in and watched as the firefighters went into action. The fire alarm turned out to be false - set off by someone cooking dinner.

More information is available at glenvillefire.org.

Article written by:
Ken Borsuk
Greenwich Time