Two local fire departments Thursday dispatched crews to Nippon Dynawave Packaging for the second installment in a three-part training exercise.
Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue participated in a scenario about a silo fire with two trapped victims, said Jeff Thompson of Cowlitz 2. The scenario was broadcast over police and fire scanners and firefighters responded as if it were a real incident, but no buildings were actually on fire.
Firefighters and Nippon participate in the drills annually, said Longview Fire Battalion Chief Troy Buzalsky. Simulations like this allow fire crews and Nippon employees to practice how they would respond to an emergency scenario, which better prepares them for the real event, Buzalsky said.
“We don’t know the specifics of this facility as well as the people who work here. … So we rely on their expertise so we can, in effect, use our expertise to put out the fire,” he said.