Chilliwack firefighters conduct live burn as part of team leader course

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During the supervised activity, fires were methodically lit in each room one by one for a total of eight fires, giving firefighters a different rescue scenario in each room. First responders used due diligence in carefully removing a lifelike dummy inside the home as if it were an actual rescue scene.

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As part of the team leader course, participants get a chance to oversee incident command and build an action plan on scene.

The Chilliwack Fire Department hasn’t held a live burn for at least two years, Brown said. “The opportunity hasn’t really presented itself in two to three years. These have to be in an outlying area away from homes and development.”

The department took necessary precautions by ensuring all electric, gas, water and sewer hook-ups were disconnected from the home. They subsequently notified emergency dispatch about its planned fire in case Chilliwack residents called in to report smoke.

Leaving nothing to chance, floor plans of the first and second storeys were printed and laminated and affixed to the side of one of 11 fire department units on scene, showing the location of interior doors and egresses, room layouts, and building details.

Safety is paramount not only during these training exercises, but with actual fires as well.

“When it looks like chaos in a fire, it’s organized chaos to us,” Brown said. “Our incident commanders prioritize and strategize safety and efficiency. They organize the scene and capture all hazards.”

Several firefighters wore air packs, or self-contained breathing apparatus, inside the home. The air packs, combined with the protective gear firefighters wear, can add 50 pounds to their backs in an already challenging environment during a fire.

“It gets hot,” Brown said. “After they go into the house and do the attack, they go to rehab where we check their vitals, and then they go to the staging area.”