GREENVILLE — While many residents only see the Greenville Fire Department when an emergency occurs, firefighters spend countless hours training to ensure they are ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
That commitment to preparedness was on display as firefighter Grant Keller completed his fourth-year practical evaluation, a department requirement designed to test the skills needed to move large volumes of water during rural fire operations.
“This is Grant’s fourth year, so in his fourth year, he does his final practical step test,” Greenville Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Brandenburg said. “This practical step test is more like rural water movement. We don’t do a lot of it because we have fire hydrants, but we respond to a lot of mutual-aid fires, and we’re sometimes second in. We are the ones pumping water from the road all the way back a lane, so this is what this simulates.”
During the exercise, Keller drafted water from a portable drop tank into one fire engine, which then supplied an aerial truck capable of flowing approximately 750,000 gallons of water per minute. The test measures a firefighter’s ability to maintain adequate water flow under conditions commonly encountered in rural firefighting.
“Grant Keller is being tested to be knowledgeable in the practical application of rural water movement,” Brandenburg said. “Everyone in the department is tested. It’s a department requirement.”
Unlike many fire departments, Greenville requires annual testing for all firefighters to ensure they maintain their knowledge and skills.
“Not a lot of departments require annual testing of their employees, but we require annual testing of all of our employees,” Brandenburg said. “The practical portion, you only need to do it the first four years of your career, and after that, we assume you’re competent.”
The evaluation demonstrates a firefighter’s ability to safely transfer water between apparatus while supplying an aerial device during firefighting operations.
Training extends far beyond annual evaluations. Firefighters participate in scheduled training throughout the year to sharpen both emergency medical and firefighting skills.
“We train three days a week, so our crews are here every third day,” Bandenburg noted. “All three crews train every week in something.”
Brandenberg said the department follows a rotating training schedule.
“The first week is EMS training, the second week is fire training, the third week is technical rescue training, and the fourth week is whatever they decide they want to do,” he said. “They train one day a week every week, including Saturdays, so technically we are training two days a week.”
Because Keller was being evaluated, his captain, Kevin Subler, did not participate in the testing. Instead, Capt. Shawn Brandenburg and Asst. Chief Jeremy Brandenburg served as proctor for the examination.
The twin brothers, Shawn and Jeremy Brandenburg, both graduated from Tri-Village High School in New Madison and have dedicated decades to public safety. Jeremy began his career with Greenville Rescue in 1999, while Shawn joined the Greenville Fire Department that same year.
Greenville Mayor Jeff Whitaker praised the department’s dedication to continual improvement.
“Those guys are always training and making themselves better,” Whitaker said. “They have a lot of young men who are very passionate about what they do. The training they do, even around the city building on Saturdays, you see them with the hook and ladder going up in the air and just all types of things.”
“They are very on top of it and are very passionate. Our fire department does a wonderful job.”
