Chelsea Fire and Rescue holds live burn training event

Chelsea Fire and Rescue conducted a live burn training exercise this week, giving their team an opportunity to combat a fire within a structure.

Chelsea FD, along with Cahaba Valley and Pelham fire departments, battled fires in the rooms of an old home on Chesser Drive. The home was donated by the owners, said Chelsea Fire Chief Wayne Shirley, and it allowed firefighters to practice battling fires in a more realistic setting than what is offered by burn trailers or simulators.

The fire department has used the home for previous training exercises, Shirley said, and crews were able to walk through the house and become familiar with the structure prior to any fires being lit. These training drills also help promote muscle memory in firefighters, said Capt. Mark Rikard.

"The more you train, the less you have to think about things," Rikard said.

An ignition officer, located inside of the house, would light the fires in different, pre-determined rooms prior to the fire crews going inside. The crews would then enter the home and put out the fire as they would in a regular home fire.

The drills were managed by an interior and an exterior safety officer, who coordinated the exercises and performed checks in between the fires.

The day also allowed a chance to practice safety measures, and at all times a Rapid Intervention team stood at the ready, Shirley said, in case there was an emergency during one of the fires. Crew members also used thermal imaging guns to check the attic between drills, making sure nothing had caught fire and therefore made the interior of the home too dangerous for drills.

Before and after crew members went into the house, their vitals also were checked, Shirley said. 

After the training was complete, the fire department allowed the fire to catch and continuously burn in the structure. It was monitored throughout the rest of the afternoon to make sure it burned safely, Shirley said.