Firefighters Train On Commercial Building

FARMINGTON, PRAIRIE GROVE, WEDINGTON, LINCOLN, FAYETTEVILLE DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATE

FARMINGTON — An empty commercial building provided a place for fire training recently for about 30 firefighters with Farmington, Prairie Grove, Wedington, Lincoln and Fayetteville fire departments.

Kum & Go plans to construct a new gas station and convenience store at the former One Stop Mart on Main Street in Farmington. The company will tear down the building and replace it with a new structure. A representative of Kum & Go gave permission for the firefighters to use the building for training.

“These opportunities are important for our new folks and for others to use new equipment,” said John Luther, director of Washington County Emergency Management Office. “They get more familiar with the equipment and are able to work with other firefighters. Networking and joint training is a recipe for success.”

Willie Watts, Farmington deputy fire chief, said most of these firefighters will probably not have to break into a concrete, commercial building. But it’s important to know how to do it, Watts said.

The differences in a commercial building and a residential fire are steel decking, concrete walls, heavy insulation and commercial roofing, said Farmington firefighter Scott Murphy.

Firefighters used hand tools, such as sledge hammers and axes, to break holes in the concrete walls so they could enter the building. Other volunteers climbed to the top of the building to vent the roof.

They also used hydraulic-powered tools provided by Northwest Arkansas Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. The urban task force is a team that is qualified and equipped to respond to incidents where victims are trapped in collapsed concrete and steel structures.

The task force vehicle is equipped with hydraulic-powered tools, including a concrete chainsaw, cutters and core drill. Firefighters used this equipment to breach the building in other areas. The core drill is used to drill a small hole through the wall so that a camera or listening device can be inserted into the building to look and listen for victims. Other rescue tools include airbag lifting devices. The airbags can be used to lift almost 300,000 pounds, Watts said.

Some of the firefighters returned later in the week to train on wide area searches. Murphy said the object was to find a person in a smokefilled building. He said firefighters would have to climb around obstacles or crawl on the floor as part of this training.

Volunteer firefighters in Washington County come from all walks of life, Luther said. Some are full-time firefighters with larger departments. Others are police officers. Some have office jobs.

“This is a mix of all people giving of their time. Volunteers are giving their time away. That’s what makes this work,” added.

Luther

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Wedington volunteer firefighters Joe Neeham, left, and Jake Blackburn learn how to use an hydraulic core drill under the supervision of Capt. Larry Balding with Ladder 1, Fayetteville Fire Department. Kum & Go allowed the firefighters to use the former...