Gila River Fire Department hosts training attended by local fire agencies

Emma Hughes
Gila River Indian News

The Gila River Fire Department trained several other fire departments in the Valley. A first for the Gila River Fire Department (GRFD) to host and facilitate the training, which took place on Monday, March 2, at the Office of Emergency Management. 

The training began with a 45-minute class on propane basics and safety, Jamison Ashton, HAZMAT Coordinator for GRFD was among one of the trainers along with GRFD Captains Adrian Hernandez and Joseph Boland.

Fire departments learned how to mitigate a hazardous materials incident. GRFD led the impressive training where hazardous materials teams are taught how to “flair” or burn off a propane tank under emergency conditions.  

“We have a lot of communities out here that have these types of propane tanks, so these are kind of a high-risk call for us,” said Captain Hernandez, “We’re one of the only departments in the Valley that have this particular setup. We wanted to train everyone as to what we’re capable of; they were really responsive, they did very well.”

Staff members from Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Ferrellgas were also onsite. GRFD presented them with plaques for all their help and support to make the training possible. Ferrellgas provided the propane and OEM has allowed GRFD to use their space for the training. GRFD currently does not have their own training location.