Firefighters ignite training blaze

It’s a simple and apparently obvious fact “Fire is hot!”

But that exclamation, coming from a Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District rookie as he wrapped up his his first live fire exercise, took on a whole new meaning.

Until a firefighter experiences a fire under real-world conditions, he can’t really grasp the power and fury of the enemy he confronts.

That’s the purpose of “Burn to Learn” exercises like the one conducted by the fire district last weekend.

Thanks to the donation of Doug and Tammy Emberton, Cloverdale RFPD was able to conduct a “Burn to Learn” on Saturday, April 30. According to Cloverdale training director John Thomas, the Embertons had built a new home on their property on Holmes Road and needed to remove the 1953 wood frame house that had been their home for the last seven years.

Cloverdale RFPD agreed to use the structure for training and to burn it as a training opportunity for the volunteer firefighters.

The objectives were fairly simple, Thomas observed: Expose the firefighters to live fire situations in a controlled environment.

“Safety is the first and most important factor in all that we do, therefore all the planning and organization for the training is checked and double checked and backed up by alternative planning,” said Thomas

The structure was used during several weekly training drills in preparation for the actual burn. Drills and instruction covered such topics as building construction, fire control and fire behavior.

In a carefully orchestrated series of events, the day progressed from interior burns in rooms, to the grand finale when the entire house and garage were totally involved in flames shortly after noon. About 20 firefighters from Cloverdale and seven from Northwest Fire Services, a wildfire contract agency, participated in the exercise. Several wildfire contract agencies were contacted to see what part, if any, they could play in the exercise.

Northwest’s engine was able to utilize compressed air foam for aid in protecting the small house behind the burn from radiant heat exposure.

According to Northwest’s Scott Benedict, “This was a great training opportunity and showed how effective pre-treatment can be.”

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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