Volusia County’s community information team joined Volusia County Fire Rescue for a hands-on “day in the life” demonstration of firefighter training, organizers said. The session included putting on turnout gear, carrying ladders, confined-space rescue drills and hose-handling exercises; no policy actions were discussed.

Kelsey Russler, senior marketing specialist with the community information team, said, "We are here today to do a day in the life of a Volusia County Firefighter." Russler and Maya Dickson, a marketing specialist, participated in the exercises to show residents the training firefighters undergo.

The demonstration highlighted the weight and physical strain of equipment. A Fire Rescue trainer stated, "Roughly a hundred and 48 pounds" when referring to the weight participants experienced with gear, and said of one ladder, "This 1 is 72 pounds." In a hose-handling drill, the trainer described range, saying, "So that'll give you 200 feet of range." The trainer also described confined-space rescue training: "Our confined space rescue our our technical rescue team ... are trained in confined space. So if there's somebody fell down a well ... somebody's cleaning out a tank and you have to go in and get them."

Russler and Dickson described the physical toll of the day. Russler said participants had only minutes of practice donning gear, "We have 0 experience other than the 60 seconds we were trying to put these on," and later summarized the experience: "We just finished a training day with the Volusia County Fire Rescue. We definitely look a little different than we did at the beginning of the day." Dickson said of her personal connection to the department, "My grandfather was a firefighter with Volusia County for 30 long years. He actually has trained right here at this facility and trained others, so I'm very excited to do this today."

The session included technique coaching — for example, to carry a ladder and avoid fatigue — and instructions for moving a charged hose, with the trainer advising, "Grab the hose in 1 hand, and you got the lock the line in the other. You walk them out with the arms out like this." Participants commented on heat and exhaustion during the drills.

Organizers framed the video as outreach: Russler closed by inviting viewers to follow additional segments, saying they would "go through some more training at a different facility with a different division, a different department, and something new every time you watch."