Fire fighters put skills to the test
A city-owned house on Lincoln Street went up in flames Nov. 21 when volunteer firemen conducted their second controlled burn this year.
The burn at 101 S. Lincoln St. cleared the way for another house to be built, while helping the fire department prepare for the real deal.
The department first lit pallets and furniture on fire in the southwest corner of the house. Chief Donnie McCuddin said the furniture gives off a different color of smoke and makes the situation more real.
"The chair will change the form of smoke to a dark black," he said. "The different colors of smoke means different gasses are building up."
From outside, volunteers could hear the windows begin to pop as the heat inside expanded the glass.
Volunteer Byron Jimmerson said it was his first time participating in a controlled burn. Although he was involved in simulated situations before, he knew this would be different.
"The simulation doesn't build quite as much heat," he said. "This is operated by gas so it builds more heat and natural smoke."
Techniques were also used to show volunteers what not to do in a fire. By using a fog stream, which sprays in a fan, the chief showed volunteers how a indirect attack causes a thermal imbalance.
The technique causes all the heat that is built up on the ceiling to go down on the floor. Volunteers participating in the burn said this made the room heat up quickly.
"It felt like my arms were on fire," Lieutenant Kyle Wilson said.
Newcomer Laura Schiltz said the training helped by showing her the fire's pattern and how it moves.
"That's what you don't want to do, they show us this so we will know what to do if it ever happens," she said.
Before participating in her first controlled burn, Schiltz said she wasn't nervous at all, but anxious to learn.
Schiltz attended the department's first burn on Kansas Street as an Emergency Medical Technician.
"It was neat watching it," she said. "There were a few flames coming out of the window and the walls started falling down. We had to keep scooting back because it got pretty hot.'
The department also used different forms of ventilation by breaking a window from the inside, the outside and cutting a hole in the roof.
When volunteer Robbie Hurley smashed a window with pike pole from outside, flames started shooting out at him.
"Once I broke the window, I gave the fire oxygen," he said. "I wasn't scared, but it was a rush."
Many factors determine whether the department can use a house for training.
Before burning, the department is required to test for asbestos through samples of the roof, dry wall or anything that is suspected to have the dangerous material. After the samples are tested, the department applies for notification to burn to Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
McCuddin said exposure to communication and electrical lines are also factored in.
"If there's too much exposure around the building, we won't do the burn," he said.
Rules stipulate the department can only burn two houses with shingles a year. Usually controlled burns are for houses the owners want demolished. This saves the owner on demolition costs, which typically run anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000.
Surrounding towns' fire departments also participated in the burn.
"It's important to train with other towns for mutual aid," McCuddin said. "That way, you know how they operate in case you have to work together in the future. The ambulance was also invited in case someone goes down, and so they can see how the station works."
After the department conducted nearly 10 burns inside the house, they burned the house to the ground. To maintain the fire, the department stationed several volunteers around the house to cool trees and electrical lines with water.
After the fire was finally put out, all that remained was a memory.
