DAVENPORT, IOWA (March 12, 2019) – The volunteer firefighters, rescuers and medics of Speedway Fire Rescue (SFR) are holding their annual Motorsports Conference, a two-day training session, this weekend.
The training takes place this Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17, at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds’ Keppy 4-H Building, 2815 W Locust St.
Chief Gil Short founded the Davenport-based SFR (speedwayfirerescue.org), a non-profit 501C3 organization, five decades ago. Volunteers, who are trained in firefighting, vehicle extrication and emergency medical service, serve each year from April through October at more than half a dozen auto race tracks in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
On Saturday and Sunday, the SFR volunteers will receive training at indoor classes and roundtable presentations. On Sunday they also will receive hands-on training outside in the latest firefighting and rescue techniques.
The Saturday agenda includes sessions on the opioid crisis, triage, race car restraints and life safety initiatives.
Following indoor sessions on Sunday morning regarding leadership, those attending will suit up and get hands-on training outdoors beginning about 10AM.
Topics at outdoor stations include race car orientation, pan fires/fire extinguishers, extrication and power tools, capped off with a mass car burn demonstration at 2PM.
Members of the media are welcome to attend anytime both days.
The general public is invited to show up at about 10AM. Sunday to watch the trainees as they go through their hands-on training outdoors. The goal is giving the public a better understanding of SFR members’ jobs at racetracks.
Media: A tentative agenda listing course content and class times, a jpg of the SFR logo and a jpg photo of Chief Short are attached to this email.
For more information, contact: Deputy Chief Karri Coyne, SFR Secretary and Training Coordinator, at (563) 370-6446, karri.coyne@yahoo.com orspeedwayfirerescue@yahoo.com.
