Here are some images from a live burn conducted by Acton Fire. Firefighters from Stow Fire also attended the session. A communications team from Fire District 14 provided communications support.
These types of training sessions are very beneficial to firefighters. It not the same burn building they are always used to training in.
Every once in a while, land owners donate their old structures to fire departments to train on. They spend weeks and weeks doing all sorts of training evolutions. They train on search and rescue, ventilation, forceable entry, rescuing downed firefighters and other types of tactics.
Some times the fire departments can get permission to have live fires in the structures. A department will typically have a few evolutions where hay is lit on fire in a room or some times two rooms and firefighters will go in and put the fires out. Then at the end of the training for the day the house is “let go” to burn.
Towards the end of the gallery, you will see some images of firefighters posing for photos in front of the house while it is on fire. Please remember this is a training session and not an actual emergency. These types of photos are historically taken at these live burns. They show the comradery and brotherhood of firefighters after weeks and weeks of hard training to work together as a cohesive unit.
After the house burns the land owners then take control of the property back and continue with their new plans for the property.
Special thanks to Acton Fire for allowing me to photograph their training.
If any department would like a training evolution photographed please feel free to reach out to me.