Hillcrest Fire Department Hosts NYS Class on Bus Extrication

By M. C. Millman 

The Hillcrest Fire Department hosted a class for Rockland fire departments in conjunction with the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control. 

Given the tremendous increase in school buses on the roads of Rockland County over the past few years, the ten-hour course was considered particularly apropos. The goal of the course was to help firefighters prepare should there be a need, chas v'shalom, for an emergency school bus extrication. The class was delivered by New York State's specialized instructor and was open to all Rockland fire departments, compliments of the Hillcrest Fire Department. Along with other extrication lessons, attendees also learned how to remove windows and seats in case of an emergency. 

"We were happy to bring this specialized training to our 100% volunteer firemen in Rockland County," Captain Orin Ben-Jacob told Rockland Daily.

The Hillcrest Fire Department covers nearly 37 square miles, the single largest area in all of Rockland County. This includes parts of Ramapo, Clarkstown, and Haverstraw, along with numerous villages including- Wesley Hills, Pomona, New Hempstead, and New Square. Hillcrest Fire Department also covers parts of the Palisades Interstate Parkway and areas of the NYS parkland along Routes 202 and Camp Hill Road. This makes Hillcrest FD the second busiest fire department in Rockland County, averaging 900 emergency calls annually.