With plenty of smoke and water to spare, Bristol firefighters led city officials through a series of controlled fire operations Saturday to demonstrate the realities of fighting fires.
At the Bristol Fire Department Live Burn Facility near engine company four’s station on Vincent P. Kelly Road, officials were led through fire control, breaching and rescue exercises by being shown how to locate bodies in a building, navigate disorienting smoke and more. Later, officials helped firefighters in a vehicle extrication exercise.
“It’s to give politicians and legislators a firsthand view to what our job is and what it entails,” said Bristol Fire Chief Richard Hart. “They get to feel what it’s like to drag hose into the building, to actually feel the heat, see the fire and put the fire out. This is a very controlled environment. It’s not as hot as a structure fire that we routinely go to. It’s really an educational program.”