Firefighters torch house for training

An old Sisters house went up in flames on Saturday. Firefighter response was especially quick - since they started the blaze.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District in cooperation with the Black Butte Ranch fire department conducted a "Burn to Learn" exercise on an old house located adjacent to the Village Green Park in Sisters on March 29. The home was burned as an alternative to demolition in an exercise that provided quality training to local firefighters.

The construction boom over the past five or six years in Sisters has been a big asset to the fire department's "Burn to Learn" project.

"We have been averaging about one or two per year. It really picked up with the construction boom over the last few years. This is the first one for this year, and it has been in the works for about two months now," said District Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler.

The experience is not only a tremendous benefit for the four or five new firefighters in the area but also for the seasoned veterans of the fire districts.

"We not only have some new people who have never experienced a live burn, but also, because we only have perhaps one house fire a year, there are a lot of experienced firefighters who haven't experienced a live burn in a long time," said Fire Chief Taylor Robertson.

The hands-on experience is as good as it can get for the local fire districts.

"On a scale of one to 10, this kind of training is certainly a 10. This is as close to the real thing as you can get and still be able to control it. It really reinforces all the basic skills and provides us with the opportunities to do teamwork and think through things and take time at it, instead of being in a hurry," said Chief Robertson.

The district has a remarkable record in having very few fires; however, this factor can work to the disadvantage of the firefighters.

"The thing is, we are blessed with very few building fires in the fire district. On the other hand, it is a curse for us because we can't get that experience on a regular basis that we really need, so this really helps to fill in that gap," said Chief Robertson.

"This is a very effective teaching tool. What we do is light one of the rooms on fire, and the crew is there and can watch how the smoke banks down and how the fire progresses and how fast it grows. They basically watch the smoke and flames to see how it burns. This is something they don't normally see. Then, they practice putting it out when it is small instead of just trying to hit it from the outside and then go in. It really helps us out a lot," said Wheeler.

The single house provides a lot of experience before it is reduced to debris.

"We will light it on fire eight or nine times, and then we will light it on fire and practice doing defensive attacks going through the windows and spraying that way. Unfortunately, when we get the phone call it is usually fairly late in the game, so that is the way it usually is for us, we have to go through the windows and then knock it down so we can go inside," said Wheeler.

The training that the firefighters received on Saturday prepare them for the real thing.

"This was a very good learning experience. I had a lot of fun and learned quite a bit from the more experienced firefighters. There really weren't any surprises. It was what I expected and more," said first-timer Calvin Karsch of the Black Butte Ranch Rural Fire Protection District.

Such trainig opportunities are drying up as redevelopment projects become fewer.

"Unfortunately, there will probably be less of these ("Burn to Learn" exercises) in the next years, as there are fewer homes of this kind left in Sisters and the building boom is slowing down," said veteran firefighter Jeremy Storton.