Firemen get new training facility

When filled with smoke, firemen will have to find a "victim" in the rearrangeable "home" interior.

City council members and Rural Fire District commissioners joined Mountain Home firefighters for the formal dedication of the department's new training facility recently.

Outside the building resembles a two-story garage with metal siding and few windows. But it belies what firefighters might find inside.

The building is filled with smoke and the crews must go through all of their safety checks as they prepare to make their way through each of the rooms, looking for anyone who may have been trapped inside the 'burning' building. They may find fallen wires or maybe a fallen ceiling. Perhaps the staircase has fallen.

"What we are trying to simulate is the worse case scenario," explained Fire Chief Phil Gridley. "We want them to build confidence and condition themselves until their safety procedures are second nature. They will practice using their breathing apparatus so they will know exactly what must be done in different situations. They will learn to understand the importance of staying together."

The new facility allows the maze to be reconfigured easily so that each time the firefighters train, they may find a different situation. They may find they will have to remove their airpacks briefly in order to crawl through a tight area.

"We had one firefighter who remembered the obstacles from the first time he went through when it took him about 15 minutes. He thought he could just go the same way during the second session and complete the course quicker. But this time it was set up a little different and he actually took a longer time because he had to backtrack."

The training sessions may also include going through 'burn cells' where hot fires will have to be dealt with as well as the smoke-filled building.

Each firefighter should be able to complete the maze in 15-20 minutes if they follow proper procedure, using a grid system to locate and rescue the fire victim.

The firefighters enter the structure in groups of three. Once they are about half way through the maze, a second group is sent on its way, until all have had an opportunity to go through the 'burning' building.

The city and the rural fire district shared the costs for the training facility which will be used not only by the local department, but for other agencies as well. The chief was pleased to point out that they were able to build the structure for about ¼ of the cost they originally thought, thanks in large part to the architect and builder.

The police department has already scheduled the building to use during its hostage rescue training. It can also be used in training the department's K-9 forces for drug searches, etc.

Grand View's fire department also will have an opportunity to use the facility in their training programs.

Gridley noted the use of the facility "will be limited only by our imagination. In the future we may be able to bring a class of fourth graders, for example, here to let them practice how they should escape from a 'burning' building. We can show them how to stay low, below the smoke, and how to feel the door before they go through to see if it is hot indicating fire is on the other side.

"If all this training can help save even one life, it is well worth it."