WATSONVILLE — With an almost military precision, a small group of recruits stood at attention at Watsonville Fire Station 2 Friday morning, ready to continue the training that will make them full-fledged firefighters.
Among other things, the six recruits were tasked with donning their fire turnouts and breathing gear in under a minute, uncoiling a hose from a fire engine while keeping it untangled and dragging a dummy “victim.”
Those were just a few of the hundreds of skills the men – three from Watsonville Fire Department and three from Central Fire – will learn during the 15-week academy.
This includes operating the myriad pieces of equipment, and navigating through a completely dark building without lights to help them, said Central Fire Capt. Chad Akin.
All were required to have paramedic certification and pass a physical agility test before being hired, Akin said.
Nearby, the recruits’ lockers were organized in an identical fashion, a required aspect of the training that is part of an overarching philosophy, Akin said.
“Attention to detail is huge,” he said. “That translates to safety.”
The idea is to get them so used to performing the tasks that they become second nature, he said.
“The things we do are not difficult, but we have to do them under a tremendous amount of stress,” he said.
The new positions were supported by Measure G, a voter-approved, half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2014, said Watsonville Fire Chief Pablo Barreto.
According to Barreto, the measure has allowed the fire department to boost staffing levels and bring overtime costs to their lowest point in 20 years.
