VIDEO: More than 500 firefighters are on staff in Wichita. Of those, only six have been through the smoke divers training in Georgia, and three others attended a spin-off course in Oklahoma and Indiana.
Those who have passed the training said it is helping their response time to save those in need. The smoke diver training sounds just like it looks – firefighters learn how to dive into burning homes to save people trapped in a fire. In Georgia, roughly 20 in-state and 20 out-of-state firefighters are selected each year. On average, fewer than half pass the training.
One of those who made the cut was Captain Stephen Runyan of the Wichita Fire Department.
“It’s the hardest but most rewarding week of your life,” Runyan said.