VIDEO/PHOTOS - The Seattle Fire Department is spending the last week of October setting fires inside a vacant Madison Valley house, so firefighter recruits can train for responding to real-life scenarios.
The single-family residence at 2711 E. Roy St. was already slated for demolition, to make way for new construction. Finding such a home, and a property owner willing to let the fire department use it for training, is rare.
“We look at the demo permits — online demo permits — and we start filtering from there,” said Deputy Fire Chief Phil Jose. Then they start making calls. “‘If possible, we’d like to do some fire training in your property,’” is how that usually gets communicated, he said.
The single story Madison Valley home is near two fire hydrants, and doesn’t require the closing of any major arterial streets, Jose said, making it an ideal candidate.
This type of training occurs twice a year, and allows firefighter recruits to learn about the nature of house fires and how to tackle them through various scenarios in a controlled setting.