Tower ready for fire training
Chris Jordan photo/Daily Inter Lake<br>Whitefish firefighters Travis Tveidt, left, and Justin Woods use the smoke-generating machine in the fire department's new training tower. The machine fills the building with smoke, allowing firefighters to train in difficult, low-visibility situations.
When the temperature reaches 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and smoke reduces visibility
to zero, Whitefish firefighters will know they can trust their gear, their instincts and one
another.
When the temperature reaches 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and smoke reduces visibility to zero, Whitefish firefighters will know they can trust their gear, their instincts and one another.
One reason for that is the new training tower, built outside the fire hall on Whitefish Stage Road.
The steel tower went up this month, according to Bill La Brie, secretary of the Whitefish Fire Service Area board of trustees.
It is a $200,000 or so project, he said, but it's impossible to put a value on the training opportunities it presents.
That includes a facility to practice rappelling and rescues in enclosed spaces that can simulate a well or other tricky circumstances.
There's a 14-by-16-foot burn room, in which fire can raise the temperature to 1,200 F. That gives firefighters the chance to "learn to trust their turnouts and respirators" under extreme circumstances, La Brie said.
The building also has a smoke generator and distribution system that can fill the building with thick white smoke that simulates fire smoke. That helps firefighters get used to working in a space in which they can see virtually nothing, La Brie said.
The building has three floors and attic space.
Walls are moveable, so firefighters practicing rescues of people inside the building will have to figure out for themselves where stairwells and walls are each time they enter the training tower.
The tower is the only one like it in the state, La Brie said.
"We're real proud of it," he said.
The department was able to conduct one training with water before the weather turned too cold, La Brie said.
Sixteen firefighters used the facility to help improve their skills, he said.
"If we can save one fireman from serious injury or death, that's the most important thing," he said.
Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com