Burn, Baby Burn!

Today Mike, Charlie, Chris, Tim and Raymond put on another training burn. Basically, people donate their homes/buildings to be burned to the ground by the fire department. The homeowners don't have to pay for the home to be demolished and the fire fighters have a space to practice in. This was my third burn and like all of the others was really cool to see. Each one is a little different, but the basic idea is the same - they are able to take a space, maintain the fire for 4-5 hours and allow all of the newer fire fighters a chance to practice in a "controlled" environment.

Fire!

The whole process actually starts long before the burn itself. Mike and the crew go into the house several weeks/months before the prescribed burn and remove anything that would be super toxic (carpet, shingles, windows, etc). They ensure that gas, electric and propane lines are all disconnected. Then they take the empty space and build plywood covers for the windows and for some of the doors. This way, they're able to control the fire as it burns.

Fire Fighters Getting Ready To Go In

Kristine, Amber, Luke, Mom and Dad all came up to watch with me today. Kris and I were talking about how mesmerizing fire is... we found ourselves staring at this burning building completely unaware of what was going on around us!

Luke, Amber, Kris and I at the training fire.

We made it up in time to hear the briefing (that's where they fill all of the firefighters in on what the action plan is for the day, what happens if someone gets hurt and how the whole day is going to play out). After that, Mike and Chris lit the house using bales of hay and pallets. The fire fighters were broken into groups and took turns going into the house to practice. The first couple of rounds were a chance for them to look at fire behavior and ventilation. The rounds after that were all about actually working to put the fire out starting from the very beginning outside - putting on all of their gear. It was really cool to not only see the fire fighters practice but to watch Mike and the other experienced fire fighters control the fire.

Finally, after everyone had their turn, they let the building burn to the ground. The primary objective there was to ensure that none of the surrounding structures or trees caught on fire.

Check out my Facebook page for all of the pictures... we got a ton of really cool ones as the house burned down!