Firefighters sharpen skills during house fire

The Weiser Area Rural Fire District recently hosted a two-day, live fire training exercise that brought together departments from across the valley.
 Held April 24 and 25, the event centered around a vacant house that was set ablaze to give firefighters real-world experience while offering instructors the opportunity to receive needed certifications.
 “The purpose is to introduce new firemen, as close as we can, to a scenario where a house is on fire,” said Weiser Rural Fire Assistant Chief Bud Fisher.
 Chief Tim Atwood is currently on vacation.
 “We try to teach them what to expect, what they need to deal with,” he said. “It ain’t like a movie where you can stand up, walk around and put the fire out.
“Even under controlled situations, these rooms are hot and dark, and you can’t see in front of your face. You are blind and you do everything by feel.”
 During the training, firefighters put to use thermal imaging equipment that detects layers of heat.
 Crews from Caldwell, Sand Hollow, New Plymouth, Fruitland, and Weiser City Fire took part in the training.
 A crew from Washington County Paramedics was onsite to provide any needed medical services.
 Multi-department training is, in part, a strategy to bolster efficiency and coordination between multiple departments during a large-scale emergency.
Preparing for the burn
 Built in the 1970s, the former rental property, located at 1468 Weiser River Road, was donated some 18 months ago.
 The current property owners wanted the house removed in order to use the land for grazing.
 It was the first house in Weiser used for training purposes in about five years, and it was only after substantial preparation that crews were ready to set it on fire.
 Sewer lines, which emit methane and, in the case of septic tanks, sulfur gases, must be capped off.
 Windows must be sealed to prevent oxygen from breathing more life into the fire and flammable materials, including liquids and furniture, must be removed.
 “We want to make it as realistic as we can, but make it safe,” Fisher explained. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt. That’s why we control everything that goes in there.
 “For example, if the house has asbestos, we have that removed. Years ago, they used to burn couches and chairs, but we don’t do that anymore,” he added. “All that stuff is made of petroleum these days and it puts out hydrocarbons.”
 Hydrocarbons are a broad group of poisonous chemicals containing hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are found in many household items, including cosmetics and cleaning products, and serve as the base of some automotive and industrial products such as gasoline and gasoline additives, and fuel injection and carburetor cleaners.
No two spaces are the same
 “The biggest thing these guys take out of this is a pretty accurate feeling of what it’s like to enter a burning building on what we call the attack line,” Fisher said.
 During the training, firefighters entered the house under several different scenarios.
 “You are going to find that what burns in the living room is going to burn different than what’s in the bathroom; and what’s going to burn in the bedroom is going to burn different than what’s in the kitchen, so we try to do scenarios in every one of those rooms so they know what to expect,” Fisher said.
 The next training exercise in Weiser will involve rescue strategies and techniques using extrication equipment commonly known as the “Jaws of Life,” a specialized set of hydraulic tools used to open jammed car doors and even remove entire roofs from vehicles.
 The training is scheduled for May 15 and 16 in Weiser.