Lodi firefighters conduct controlled burn exercise with neighboring fire districts
On a cloudy Monday afternoon, firefighters from the Lodi FIre Department and several neighboring fire districts wrapped up a controlled burn exercise at a vacant house on South Stockton Street near Harney Lane.
The exercise focused mostly on interior firefighting, according to Lodi Fire Battalion Chief Tim Ortegel, as well as observing fire behavior.
“It’s also a chance for the buys to get some nozzle time,” Ortegel said, referring to the fire hoses he was folding.
Along with firefighters from Woodbridge Fire, Liberty Fire, WaterlooMorada Fire, Linden Fire and Mokelumne Fire, Lodi Fire began the exercise at approximately 9 a.m. Monday, Ortegel said, taking wooden pallets into the house to start controlled fires that attack crews took turns extinguishing.
“We got about 15 to 20 burns out of it. Eventually, it gets to the point where the fire reaches the attic,” Ortegel said as the house’s roof began to collapse. “We don’t get this opportunity very often, so when an opportunity like this pops up, we definitely want to jump on it.”
Lodi-based property developer Dale Gillespie donated the house — which had no electrical wires or buildings around it — to Lodi Fire for the exercise.
“Although we do have some houses nearby, they’re out of the danger zone, so to speak,” Gillespie said. “This way, we can get some usefulness out of something that we would otherwise come in and quietly demolish.”
Lodi Fire Capt. Shane Langone felt the exercise went well, he said as he took off his protective gloves.
“Any time we get to do this, it’s a positive,” Langone said. “There’s nothing better than live training.
“It also gives us an opportunity to invite some neighboring agencies,” Lodi Fire Engineer Roger Varwig said as he loaded gear into the back of a fire engine. “We do a lot of training, but not a lot under live fire conditions.”