Firefighters from the Clinton Heights Fire Department along with several neighboring departments recently participated in a "Man vs. Machine" exercise. The two day program was provided by PL Vulcan Fire Training Concepts, led by Captain Mark Gregory, FDNY. Along with Captain Gregory, two additional instructors took the 36 participants through six evolutions touching upon the necessary skill sets and practical solutions needed to address not-everyday-calls but critical ones from machinery entrapment (e.g. meat grinder) to bodily impalement. The exercise also allowed a review of the tools necessary for such unusual calls. A three hour classroom course was followed with four hours of hands-on training. CHFD Chief Seth Tracy welcomed the presenters noting a special relationship between Captain Gregory and his department. Stephen Gregory Sr., Mark's grandfather, a retired New York City firefighter, was a member of the Clinton Heights Fire Department; he volunteered countless hours training local firefighters over the course of his retirement years. He passed away this past late-winter with full honors from Clinton Heights. Present for the course were three generations of the Gregory family: Stephen Jr., Mark Sr., and Mark Jr. This course continued the tradition of the Gregory family sharing their expertise with the members of CHFD. Other fire service agencies joined in the exercise: East Greenbush FD, Rensselaer FD, Defreestville FD, Albany FD, Nassau FD, Averill Park-Sand Lake FD, Schuyler Heights FD, Centervile FD (Greene County) and the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
