Firefighters converged on Rising Star late in the afternoon on Tuesday October 25, 2011 to participate in a live fire training exercise. For some it was something they have done before, but several in attendance had never been inside a burning structure. One of the experienced firemen said this was his first one to actually go into, also that no two fires are alike.
DeWayne Hunter of the Olden Fire Department was the lead instructor; Rising Star Fire Chief Josh Constancio was the “Incident Commander”. There were several areas represented, fire personnel from May, Eastland, Gorman, Sipe Springs, Carbon, DeLeon, and Olden took part in this practice drill.
This controlled interior fire exposed the trainees to dealing with a fire inside, in the dark, with weak floors (due to the house being empty for a number of years). Old carpet, plastic CD covers and vinyl covered furniture made the smoke a toxic mix to deal with in total darkness.
Our Volunteer fire fighters went to Fort Wolters, near Weatherford, in September and trained at a firefighter school that the Texas Forest Service sponsors. All participated in training that included a burning natural gas meter, a 250 gallon propane tank, a Christmas tree, and an oil separator out of the oil field.
This type of training is not available in all areas, so it was good to have this opportunity to have hands on training before encountering actual emergencies.
Stella and Jay Ware set up a table with hot dogs, chili, chips, cookies, bottled water, and soda, so that those in attendance could refresh themselves.
Pictured above are the firefighters as they train in the burning house. Below are other pictures of the event. Photos contributed by Laura Quinn.
