Smoke was in the air on Saturday as Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 ran training at 54 Purple Sage Road. Firefighters were running drills with live fire, wearing full respirator gear, and working with the hoses.
Firefighters burned two structures to the ground and used another to practice Principles of Modern Fire Attack, a technique that uses the latest research regarding how best to enter a structure. The firefighters set small fires in the rooms of the building and practiced spraying a steady stream of water into the window to cool the room down before they entered.
Assistant Fire Chief Jake Ribordy said the exercises were important in helping everyone practice new skills. The day was also important in giving the firefighters practice handling the hoses, moving them around, and positioning the vehicles.
The building in which they ran drills was donated for their use and they burned the other structures as a favor to the owner. They patrolled the area surrounding the burning structures to control stray embers and used high-powered water canons on the fire trucks to put the fires out. Interested onlookers lined the street, watching the structures burn hot with flames many feet in the air.