MILFORD, Oh. — Multiple fire departments, including Loveland-Symmes, Milford and Miami Township, gathered together for a special training.
While the exercise is about practicing rescues, it isn't about saving residents; it's about saving one of their own.
The various fire crews worked through how to call for help and what to do if a firefighter needs a rescue. Situations included inside buildings, through windows and how to carry one another up flights of stairs.
I watched as different firefighters called out "Mayday" over their radios, a pivotal tool in any emergency response.
“That is their lifeline to help in the event of an emergency," Milford Fire Chief Mark Baird said.
Watch to see how firefighter radios are used in a simulated emergency, teaching fire crews how to rescue each other:
Earlier in September, Milford's fire department announced it's replacing dozens of old radios, with the help of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The grant is for $373,015.90 and the department will pay an additional 55 of the cost, bringing the price to $391,666.70, according to the fire department.
Many of these radios have aged out of repair or new parts, according to Baird. The fire chief showed me one of the older devices, which has a cross-out sticker attached to the front.
"This radio has already been marked that it's not supposed to be used in an immediately dangerous and life and health situations," Baird said.
As the years have gone by, radios for first responders have grown with the times.
“These radios that we use in public safety now are truly computers that have radios enclosed with them," Baird said.
Baird's department is making sure all the tools in their toolbox are in top shape.
"These are critical pieces of equipment, right up there with the ambulances and fire trucks that we respond in," Baird said.
