The flames loom about 20 feet in the air as Aberdeen firefighter Jayson Knutson prepares to extinguish the fire.
Knutson signals he's ready and grabs the hose, while his partner standing behind him helps navigate toward the flames. The two walk to the fire, hose in hand, before kneeling down when they get about 10 feet away.
"It's not hot at all," Knutson later says of the fire. "Actually, with the way the water gets, you stay pretty cool."
Knutson, 27, has been with the Aberdeen Fire Department eight months. But Wednesday night's training drill on the east side of the downtown station was his first.
Knutson and the other firefighters take part in these annual drills to avoid injuries to themselves and others while on the job. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 110 U.S. firefighters are killed each year in duty-related activity.
Although Aberdeen firefighters have suffered injuries, no one can remember a member of the department ever being killed.
The fire department wants its training to be as realistic as possible so firefighters know what to expect.
"We don't want anyone to panic once they get out there," Aberdeen Fire Chief Bill Winter said. "They panic and things go wrong."
Knutson said the training works.
"It's pretty real," he said. "It is training, but it's still real fire."
Wednesday night's exercises with the fire tree, a cross-shaped device which fuels a fire with liquid propane, were the third of the week and last for the year. Each shift ran through the exercise with the help of three hoses and two fire trucks. Two firefighters worked at putting out the fire with one hose, while a hose on each side, also manned by firefighters, added protection.
Everyone participated - from those who have been with the department for just a short time to the veterans.
About 10 firefighters stood around waiting their turn Wednesday night, most dressed in full gear weighing more than 100 pounds.
Winter said the fire tree was borrowed from the Aberdeen Rural Fire Department, and therefore, some of those firefighters participated in the training as well.
As an 8-year veteran of the Aberdeen Fire Department, Wayne Krysowaty couldn't remember how many times he's done the drill over the years.
"Definitely a fair amount," the 38-year-old said. "It's really good that everyone does it."
Krysowaty said there are many benefits to the fire tree training.
"We're in a controlled environment, but it's really quite realistic. Just like a gas main fire." he said. "If anything goes wrong, because we're in this environment, we know we're relatively safe. It prepares us for the real thing without a lot of danger."
Winter said even though they take every precaution possible, sometimes someone is burned. However, no one was injured during this week's drills.
"If they don't do it just right and aim the hose at the right angle, there's always that possibility," Winter said about injuries.
He said the fire tree training is meant to be as realistic as possible.
"It's like driving a car. You're never going to learn how to drive unless you get in there and try," Winter said. "We need to know how it feels and how to do it, so when the real thing comes, we're ready."
Knutson agreed.
"It's important to know what it feels like," he said.
