I stumbled over furniture as I tried to feel for the cushioned dummy amidst the blinding smoke. The warmth from the mask and 14 kilograms on my back was uncomfortable, and I realised the enormous pressure firefighters must face during a real fire.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Thursday members of the media were given the rare chance to walk in the shoes of Canberra's frontline firefighters.
A handful of reporters attended the ACT Fire & Rescue Come and Try Media Day at the ESA training centre in Hume to simulate recruitment tests and rescue operations.
It was in light of the recent announcement that half of next year's intake of firefighters will be women, which will hopefully increase the number of female fighters from six to 14.
Commander Richard Maloney said he was pleased women took part in Thursday's events.
"This is a real opportunity to have women involved and performing the tasks of firefighters," he said.
"Going into a smoky environment, climbing to the top of the training tower, being involved in road accident rescuing and firefighting, hopefully gives you guys a really good opportunity to share the message for us and to show that women can do it too."
While the hot house was not projecting any heat when the reporters were in there (and my mask still felt warm), a real fire could climb up to 700 degrees celsius, senior firefighter Bruce Chancellor said.
"But we would never stand, we would crawl down on our knees and keep ourselves in the safe environment where it is about 100 degrees," he said.
"You are working a lot harder, we'd be dragging a hose with us, we'd be extinguishing fire as we went and cooling the environment around us."
Journalists also took a vertigo test after climbing a six-storey tower, were taken up the Bronto Skylift aerial appliance that reaches up to 44 metres, cut open a car to rescue a "crash victim" and simulated the extinguishing of a gas-bullet fire.
While these tests were exhausting, they were a minuscule part of the 90-day extensive training new recruits undergo.
But Mr Chancellor urged keen recruits not to be deterred, stressing he's "not expecting anyone to know how to be a firefighter when they get in there".
"We're just looking for the fact that they're physically able, comfortable in that environment with the non-visibility, not get claustrophobic and be happy with heights."
To find out more, check out the careers section on the ESA website.
