HOWARD — Gusty winds, heat and humidity, and lots of bats made for an exciting day of training for the Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District on Saturday.
A large, unoccupied house owned by Howard Township was burned in a scheduled training exercise by the fire department. Throughout the day, fires were set within the house, and teams of three firefighters completed training evolutions inside and outside, extinguishing the flames.
Along with firefighters, some of EKCJFD’s new junior firefighters were also on scene. “The junior firefighters are here to observe, and throw a little water [at the fire], maybe,” said Chief Larry Stimpert.
The house was thoroughly examined beforehand, to find any safety hazards and develop a strategy for the exercise. Several pieces of fire apparatus, including ladder truck 431, as well as two rescue squads, stood by.
Stimpert said burning a house in town with other structures close by posed different challenges than burning a structure in the country.
“There is more exposure and more hazards in town,” Stimpert explained, but added that one advantage to fighting a fire near fire hydrants, is that the need to haul in water was eliminated.
When the first fire was lit inside, over 300 bats streamed from the eaves and attic window. Clouds of the newly homeless creatures swooped over firefighters and the crowd that had gathered to watch the training.
Inside, firefighters took turns battling the fire. Capt. Brian Durbin kept track of which firefighters entered and left the building, using accountability tags with each firefighter’s name.
Keeping spectators at a safe distance, the chief and Capt. Chris Willis made sure that while there to learn, the junior firefighters were also kept safe.
Toward afternoon, after several evolutions inside the house, heat became a real issue for the firefighters. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are dangers when temperatures inside become dangerous. Wearing heavy gear, as firefighters perspire, they can suffer steam burns inside their protective clothing.
“Plus, once you get in there, there’s a lot of steam from the water on the fire,” explained firefighter Lincoln Ball.
In addition to having medics at the scene, family members of the firefighters looked out for their well-being as well. Stimpert’s wife, Mona, was one of several people making sure the firefighters had plenty of water to drink.
The chief said heat and humidity are challenges firefighters face during structure fires. As crews came out, they were given time to rest and rehydrate.
“We’ve got to take care of ourselves before we take care of others,” Stimpert said.
After a break for lunch, it was time to burn the house completely. Strong winds whipped the smoke and flames up quickly, and ash and water rained down in dark drops. Stimpert kept a close eye on everything.
“The wind’s not being too cooperative at the moment, but we can’t really control that,” Stimpert said as smoke filled the street.
Even with unpredictable conditions, the exercise went well, according to Stimpert.
“Only one wall fell where I didn’t want it too, and that’s easy to fix with a front-loader,” he said.
Having received her firefighter certification card only a few weeks ago, Denise Morningstar said experiencing her first real fire was a great learning experience, although the level of heat inside the building was a shock.
“I didn’t drink enough water,” she said, even though she had several bottles of water throughout the day. Morningstar said that during the next fire she would keep herself better hydrated.
“It can get very hot, very quick,” she said of her time inside the burning building.
Firefighter Dan Rousseau also experienced his first actual time inside a burning house.
“It was rolling over really fast, and flames were shooting straight up the wall and over the top,” Rousseau said. “It was different than I imagined.”
Rousseau said that after all of the studying he’s done, real-life practice added a lot to his learning. The rookie said the more experienced firefighters were great teachers throughout the exercise.
Assistant EMS Chief/firefighter Marcia Durbin said veteran firefighters learn from the exercises as well.
“You learn something new each time because every house is different,” she explained.
Stimpert said real-life practice of a training fire is a rare opportunity, and provides great learning experiences.
Willis spent time with the junior firefighters after the training, explaining some things the younger firefighters had seen and experienced, and reminding them about safety procedures.
