Newly hired firefighters with the South Area Fire and Emergency Response District (SAFER) were able to practice putting out a controlled structure fire Saturday morning.
Thanks to the D.C. Everest School District, an unused building located on the corner of Jelinek Avenue and Alderson Street, was donated to SAFER so it could be used for training purposes.
“You can simulate a lot of things in a classroom, but nothing can really simulate what it’s like when you’re in a room that’s burning,” explained Deputy Fire Chief with the SAFER Fire District, Josh Finke. “We were able to set multiple fires and use different tactics to refine our skills and train new firefighters.”
Roughly 12 firefighters arrived around 8 a.m. to start the simulations. According to participants, each room in the build had different items that were purposely set on fire so they can observe how the fire reacts to each item. Firefighters in training say this was exactly what they needed to get their feet wet.