It was a day the more than 90 firefighters on scene will never forget. From gas tank fires to stove fires, the firefighters honed their skills with nearly every source of fire, all in one location.
And no one was hurt.
"This is one of the best things I have ever seen done," said Bill Schwindamann of Marysville, who travels the state with a burn trailer built by the Kansas Fire Service Training Institute at The University of Kansas.
A group of area firefighters learn how to control a fire at a natural gas tank. More than 90 firefighters participated in Saturday's training.
The trailer was in place at the Newton Fire/EMS training facility on Southwest 14th for "Basic Firemanship Day," sponsored by the Harvey County Emergency Services Academy.
Firefighters from every department in the county and some from Goessel, Peabody and Wellington participated.
"The experience here, especially for small departments, is invaluable," said Eric Voss, Halstead Emergency Services chief and chairman of the ESA. "You can get trained on everything, everything that is essential for a good department, in one day."
Using natural gas as fuel, firefighters were trained on how to stop fires at a chemical tank, a natural gas tank and a car. Firefighters also were trained in the burn trailer how to fight stove fires, bedroom fires and what to do when fire rolls across the ceiling.
Firefighters were also taught how to find their way out of a smoky building if they became disoriented, and how to get a fellow firefighter out of a window if they become incapacitated.
