Rookie Firemen Get Battle Tested This Month

The Fire Department will be setting fire to barns, houses and cars over the next few days as part of "Live Fire Training" exercises for rookie firemen.

The training began with classroom study last Saturday, then live training Sunday, fighting a barn fire on Covered Bridge Road. The recruits learned a variety of firefighting techniques, such as advancing hose lines and "catching" a fire hydrant, as well as how to wear their protective equipment.

This week, the new firemen will go back to the classroom for a state certification class, "Firefighter I/II Fire Control," which brings together all the training they've been getting since the start of the year.

"We will be burning vehicles Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and then conducting a live burn of a structure on Covered Bridge Road on Saturday," said Training/Safety Division Chief Jason Dean. "This will involve multiple entries by multiple teams into the structure to extinguish set fires."

The exercises are part of the Department's ongoing training program.