One item that has not changed is the firefighter's zest for meals. Unless interrupted by an emergency, firefighters enjoy a hardy lunch before resuming their duties. The afternoon is filled with varied activities. Normal afternoon duties include building inspection, hydrant inspection, pre-fire planning, station cleaning, ground maintenance, office paperwork, and continuing hours of study. Many firefighters use available afternoon hours to work on special projects and programs to be used by the department and throughout the community. Company officers also use the afternoon hours to instruct and prepare potential drivers. Hours are spent at the training grounds as well as at the station.

Throughout the years, with the advent of new building materials and increased knowledge of potential hazards, firefighting has required additional education for all members and specialized training for designated members. The Wichita Fire Department has met the challenge by forming a Hazardous Materials Team which works in close cooperation with agencies ranging from the local to the national level. The Haz-Mat unit is recognized as one of the best in the region. Many hours are involved in the continued training required to keep up with today's demands. On a regular basis the department uses stimulation to evaluate and improve the ability to handle emergencies. These stimulations often include outside agencies, such as a Haz-Mat incident directed by the Coast Guard with regional EPA personnel in attendance.

Stimulations above and beyond normal drill routines are also used for high-rise structures. These buildings present problems that were not often encountered by firefighters in years past. Along with the increased numbers of high-rise buildings and emergencies in those buildings comes the need for high-rise rescue. Another specialized group emerged to address this problem. This group of firefighters trained in high-rise rescue, use climbing/rappelling gear not normally found on fire engines and techniques normally used by mountain climbers to facilitate their work.

Water rescues have perplexed firefighters forever. But, as is often the case in firefighting, increased knowledge and improved equipment has changed the way these emergencies are handled today. The department has formed a team of certified divers and provides them with modern techniques, training, and equipment. Each member is proficient in diving and operating the boats, res-q-dec, and other water rescue devices.

Firefighters have always been called when someone gets in a jam. Firefighters respond to serious automobile accidents and other emergencies where extrication is required. Although these type of emergencies have remained much the same over the years, the equipment necessary to handle them has changed dramatically. Again, to meet the demand the department certifies personnel in extrication methods and techniques. Operation of this equipment requires hours of 'book' learning as well as hours of 'hands on' experience. New designs used in today's automobiles and buildings and the extensive use of plastics and other lightweight construction materials increase the challenge presented in each extrication incident.

All members of each of the teams listed above have spent and will spend many hours of their own time working to gain expertise in their specialty area. Members' contributions allow these programs to excel rather than merely to exist.

In addition to the specialty units, the department, as a whole, conducts many additional programs to better serve the citizens of Wichita. These programs are also supplemented with volunteer off-duty hours and are a major contributing factor to the quality of our fire department. An example program is the continuous monitoring of conditions of our streets and fire hydrants that are out of service are updated daily and immediately as necessary. Closely related to this is a project to evaluate all bridges in Sedgwick County for weight restrictions and access problems. Keeping this type of information current is no easy task. The entire department was involved in mapping every square inch of Sedgwick County. Operations personnel drove each street, verified addresses, and produced high quality, accurate maps.

This map work increased in value when the city entered into a first responder agreement with Sedgwick County. City personnel met with neighboring county stations to familiarize each other with equipment and operational differences. This program added additional procedures and responsibilities when answering alarms. The map work will also serve as a major segment of intial computer-aided dispatch efforts in the near future.

Each and every day operations personnel are involved in projects outside the realm of normal duties in an effort to improve the department. Some examples of a current and on-going projects are the disaster plan, a computer program for use with home safety survey data, computerizing of forms, lawnmower maintenance, driver's pumping and driving short courses, clothing committee, safety committee, health committee, and history book committee, to name a few.

With all of these special efforts, firefighters must continue to remember the basics to complete our task as firefighters. For this reason, annually all firefighters participate in basic skills evolutions which give the commanding officers and firefighters an opportunity to evaluate skill levels. These basic skills evolutions normally follow a year filled with drill cycles designed to provide the information and hands-on experience required for efficient operations.

The drill cycles include such subjects as EMT recertification and medical training, incident command, driver certification, fire prevention/inspection practices, and other practical skills as needed.

Throughout the year, operations personnel also participate in a number of inspection/information programs. These include building inspection, hydrant inspection, station tours, REACH (blood pressure testing), hydrant maintenance, home safety survey, pre-planning and school safety caravan.

As can be seen by the listing of activities above, the days of horseshoes and dominoes are things of the past. Today's firefighters maintain busy and complicated schedules, but look forward to the challenge of improving our fire department.