Lac La Biche firefighters take part training exercise in Athabasca

The firefighters learned skills inside a 'burn building.'

LAC LA BICHE – A group of 15 firefighters and support staff with Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue participated in a realistic training exercise inside of a burn building in Athabasca recently. Jihad Moghrabi, a communications officer with the County, explained that the burn building is an engineered live fire training prop consisting of three, non-combustible metal sea can structures. The facility is built with thermal concrete and reinforced burn areas to resemble a small, single-family residence.

“The structure's indoor layout can be changed with sliding metal panels, allowing firefighters to create new scenarios and simulate searching an unfamiliar structure,” Moghrabi told Lakeland This Week. “The burn building can be brought to high temperatures by burning clean combustible fuel like wood and straw. It fills with smoke over time, simulating low or no-visibility conditions.”

During the exercise, the primary skills that the Lac La Biche firefighters practiced involved finding and extinguishing fires. “There can be a surprising amount of finesse and skill needed to actually extinguish fires,” he stated. Using too much water too quickly when fighting fires can actually trigger dangerous thermal conditions, he said.

In turn, this can cause serious injuries or even death among firefighters and victims. Ventilating fires (by opening windows and removing smoke and heat from the building) has serious advantages and drawbacks, according to Moghrabi. “Firefighters were able to get the experience they needed to make smart tactical decisions in real emergency scenarios.

This training also ensured that our new firefighters won't have their first experience fighting an actual fire during a dangerous, real emergency,” he said. Most of the firefighters who travelled to Athabasca for the training were new recruits, while a few were experienced firefighters who were on hand to instruct and assist. Others were there to challenge their NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1001

Level 1 exam. This is the first and most important qualification for any firefighter. “We'd like to thank our neighbours and colleagues at Athabasca County, who generously allow us and other regional fire services teams to use their burn building annually,” he stated.

“The training we offer helps our firefighters prepare for extreme scenarios in safe conditions, and gives them the skills and confidence they need to deliver the excellent emergency response that Lac La Biche County residents expect,” he stated. “We're proud of all participants, and we're confident that they're getting the training need(ed) to effectively serve our community.”