Firefighters get new training facility

Three firefighters devised and carried out a plan to rescue a victim from the second floor of a burning building.

One firefighter climbed through the window to retrieve the 120-pound mannequin, the second waited at the top of the ladder, ready to get the mannequin through the window and carry it down, while the third stood at the base of the ladder, holding the ladder steady so it would not fall over. The mannequin and all the firefighters made it safely back to the ground.

The scenario is one that could easily be played out in a real fire, which is why the Bargersville Fire Department is thankful to have finished the construction of a new training facility, the first of its kind in Johnson County, Bargersville Fire Division Chief Eric Funkhouser said.

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The building, constructed with six, 40-foot shipping containers, is three stories tall, and complete with windows, doors and staircases. One of the containers was set up vertically, which allows the firefighters the chance to practice rappelling.

While shipping containers may at first seem like an odd choice of materials, using them kept the cost of the project down, Funkhouser said.

The fire department spent about $100,000 on the training center, which was constructed by Patriot Tactical, with the help of a $30,000 grant from the Johnson County Community Foundation, he said.

Firefighters began doing drills at the new training center several weeks ago, Funkhouser said.

To simulate live fires, metal cages called burn cribs are placed on the first and second floor of the building. The cages can hold wood pallets and hay bales. To practice search and rescue scenarios, they can flood the building with smoke.

The doors can be jammed shut in order to practice situations where firefighters would have to force their way into a building.

On top of the facility, they have two mock roofs that firefighters can practice cutting through with chainsaws at various angles.

And firefighters can practice using the aerial ladder truck. Judging the distance and getting the ladder in the right position can be a challenge, Funkhouser said. With the new training center, they can practice at various heights and distances, he said.

The setup allows firefighters to practice many scenarios they could face in an actual home fire, such as using a ladder to rescue people stuck on the top floor, spraying water on live fires or having a downed firefighter.

Firefighters have to constantly practice their skills to keep them up, Bargersville Fire Department Lt. Karl Crist said.

Prior to building this facility, live-fire training options were hard to come by, Funkhouser said.

Besides the occasional donated home, firefighters didn’t have many opportunities to handle fires in a training setting, he said.

Now, they can train on a daily basis.

Bargersville won’t be the only department in the area using the training facility. They plan to invite other local fire departments to use it as well, Funkhouser said.