Teams of firefighters barreled into the old offices of the American Dream Realty Corp. in Davie Tuesday.
The men rushed in on their hands and knees, helmets on and air cans hissing.
But there was no fire. The only victim was a rubber dummy, naked but for a blue paramedic's shirt and white socks.
The empty American Dream office, along with other vacant storefronts in the plaza at Davie and Griffin roads has become a temporary training ground for Davie Fire-Rescue. Until bulldozers raze the structure to build a new town center, firefighters will run daily drills and learn new techniques in the center, which is the former home of the Armadillo Cafe and Survivor Lounge.
When Davie Town Center developer Mark Schmidt offered use of the plaza for training, Davie fire marshal Robert Madge jumped at the opportunity.
Fire-Rescue has been training in the empty storefronts for the last few weeks.
''This is a gold mine,'' said Davie Fire-Rescue Training Chief Joe Sorrentino. ``You don't usually get an opportunity like this, and we're making good use of it.''
Sorrentino said he relishes the chance to try out new techniques in the empty stores.
On Tuesday morning, firefighters from Station 91 suited up for primary search drills, which are rapid sweeps to find victims.
After donning heavy coats and boots, the men pulled cotton hoods over their masks to simulate the dark, smoky environment of a fire.
During the search, Sorrentino barked directions to the men, who pawed the leftover bookshelves and office furniture as they looked for victims.
''He's doing good. Is he the new guy?'' Sorrentino asked as the new guy, 21-year-old James Holder scrambled to complete the room search. Along with Gary Spence, his partner for the exercise, Holder sought doorways and rooms until they found their victim, a 175-pound dummy splayed in the center of a room.
Sorrentino critiqued the drill and demonstrated techniques with ropes and nylon webbing as the firefighters refueled with a sports drink.
The training is serious business, said firefighter John Kelly, but it's fun, too.
''We don't get to play like this very often,'' he said, noting that in most training exercises, firefighters must be careful not to damage structures.
Here, they can break walls, throw things and hack holes in the building's roof -- all things they might have to do in a real fire.
''The only thing we're not allowed to do,'' said Sorrentino with a slightly wistful look, ``is set the place on fire.''
