Your fire department recently conducted a training burn. In very simple terms, we burned a building intentionally. Do not try this at home! It takes many permits, reams of forms, and specialized trainers to do a burn legally. From start to finish, the process takes about two months. But for your fire department, it’s well worth the effort in training value.

The morning of training day, November 22, starts at 4:30 AM. Equipment and trucks are moved from the East Andover Fire Station to the Andover Fire Station. At 5 AM, all the towns that are joining us in the training – Franklin, Sutton, Wilmot, Danbury, and Salisbury – gather with us in the Andover Fire Station meeting room for a briefing of the day’s activities.

Though the excitement in the room is very high, not a word is spoken as the instructors detail training exercises, safety procedures, and radio channels. For a fire chief, the feeling is somewhere between Christmas morning and a trip to the dentist. A training burn is not unsafe, but it does have lots of smoke and fire and many firemen that fire officers tend to worry about.

The fire ground at the site of the former Cilleyville Bookstore is set up with pre-placed hose lines. Each hose line is a different color and has a specific job, from fire attack to backup to rescue. Large-diameter feed lines are set up between fire trucks, and the water supply is tested for several minutes.

Accountability is set, so every firefighter can be accounted for by a team leader and an accountability officer. The safety officer and the chief meet briefly. We are ready to go.

After a walk-through, fires are started. The chief becomes quiet and extremely watchful. This is not because he is concerned about the ability of the instructors; they are highly skilled and the safest team in the fire service. Not because he is concerned about the skill of his own firefighters. It’s because he is the chief, and everyone on the scene is his responsibility. That’s the job.

The training teams enter the building to practice finding their way through blinding smoke and intense heat. There is no substitute for the real thing. Heavy attack lines are dragged upstairs to douse the flames.

The heat and humidity given off by the burning material and the water are extremely high. The equipment worn by the firefighters is their only protection, and any flaw is soon discovered and has the potential to become a bigger problem.

Most normal people would want to flee this kind of environment, and that is good. Firefighters must be hardened to the discomfort and fear to move on even further and complete the task.

The firemen practice many old, tried-and-true methods and learn new ones, as our profession is constantly moving forward. The teams use many calories and lose lots of water during live burn training. Each firefighter must go to a rehab station to sit, eat some fruit (though most prefer donuts), and drink water. The EMTs keep an eye on the firefighters and will quickly deal with any undue fatigue or medical concern if needed.

All too soon, the building becomes unsafe due to the many training fires it has endured. The air horns sound their three blats, and everyone leaves the building.

Firefighters gather around the instructors for the end-of-drill debriefing. The first question asked: “Was anyone injured?” A resounding “No!” is heard, and the chief looks to the sky as he silently says, “Thank you.” The instructors finish the drill questions, and after some rest it is time to pick up and clean up.

Back at the station, the firefighters finish the cleanup, and all go to the meeting room to have lunch. The banter is light, and the excitement of the early morning meeting has somewhat diminished due to fatigue. There is, however, a clear sense of accomplishment and of a job well done.

It is difficult to fully understand why firemen do what they do. The job is dangerous, and you often witness events that stay with you for a lifetime. I sometimes think it is because you do not do the job alone. You are part of a very exclusive team. Many have tried our work, but few stay. However, if you love, not just like, our calling, the the reward of “a job well done” is magic.

I am very proud to walk among them.