More than 55 staff members of Hoffman SummerWood Community practiced putting out fires — literally — one recent afternoon at the West Hartford senior living facility. It was all part of a fire safety training session staged in the SummerWood parking lot by trainers from the town’s Fire Protection Team (FPT). After a full briefing on the proper use of the equipment, each staff member had an opportunity to “Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep (P.A.S.S.)” their own fire extinguisher. SummerWood’s chefs, housekeepers, administrative staff, drivers, nurses, aides and managers all took part in the training. “Our residents’ safety and well-being is our number one priority, and we thought this hands-on in-service would be another way to take that one step further,” explained SummerWood Executive Director Joan Carney. “The FPT trainers did an excellent job today, and we will plan to do this again next year as a refresher, as well as for new staff.”

CAP: A SummerWood staff member takes a turn with a fire extinguisher.