MA Firefighters Use Vacant Mall for Massive Training Exercise

"It's unique in that we have free range over what we want to do," he said.

Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord said the training was a welcome chance for firefighters from different towns to get to know each other, which can help them work together during fires involving different departments.

"It's always good for us to know each other before some big event happens, so when it does, we know each other by our first names and we know already what we all can do," he said.

On Friday afternoon, the firefighters ran a drill designed to simulate rescuing a downed firefighter from inside a burning building. Inside an area that used to be a JC Penney, organizers used heavy curtains that blocked out all the light from doors, a fake smoke machine and obstacles like piles of wooden pallets to mimic conditions during an actual fire.

Inside the old store, the only light was the occasional blinking flashlight from fire officers overseeing the training and glowing bands around the firefighters' air packs, which did little to dispel the near-total darkness. Firefighters went into the store in small groups, using fire hoses and ropes along the ground to navigate as they crawled across the ground, mimicking how they would have to move in a real smoke-filled building. Beeping radios and background noise from a smartphone app added to a sense of chaos.

The firefighters were urgent but organized as they worked through the drill, successfully "rescuing" all three of the dummies.

Norwell Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Simpson, who helped organize the training, said rescuing a downed firefighter is one of the most physically taxing tasks a firefighter could face. Along with having to drag the firefighter, or in this case a 200-pound dummy, out of the building, firefighters have to contend with the 70 or 80 pounds of gear the downed firefighter is wearing. It's easy for gear like a firefighter's air pack to snag on obstacles like furniture and makes it harder to get through a door or window.

The compressed air packs firefighters carry can typically last 30 minutes, but that time can be reduced to as short as 16 minutes when used during breathing-intensive work, like carrying out another firefighter. It can take a dozen or more firefighters to find and extract one downed firefighter, Simpson said.

"It just takes so much more than what one town can do," he said. "That's why it's so important that (firefighters from different departments) know how to work together."

Fire Lieutenant Michael Krause from the Hingham Fire Department said the rescue drill closely mirrored actual conditions inside a burning building.

"It's pretty realistic as far as being dark, loud, not knowing the layout," he said. "The only thing that would be different is heat."

Audrey Cooney can be reached at 781-837-4573.

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