Smoke pouring out of windows, fire trucks and ambulances, crews in turnouts.
What looks like an emergency in downtown Madras probably isn't. The rigs and the crews may be the genuine article, but the smoke comes from a theatrical fog machine.
Starting Monday, July 11, Jefferson County Fire & EMS will use the former Wild Bleu restaurant for training. The new owner, Andre Jackson, plans to demolish the structure to build a new two-story restaurant. Jefferson County Fire & EMS Training Captain Mark Johnson says it helps to train in buildings destined for demolition because trainees can damage the structures.
"We can spray water in it, put holes in sheet rock. We'll practice doing search skills using a smoke machine," said Johnson. This house will allow crews to practice advancing hose lines to the second story, and cutting holes in the roof for vertical ventilation.
On Friday, July 8, the team prepared the building for training by hanging fabric over the windows to simulate the darkened conditions they experience in most fires. One team placed a "body" in the structure, another team practiced its search skills to find it. Jackson plans to demolish another building this summer, a house on Fifth Street near E Street just south of the Spiffy Car Wash. Fire & EMS crews will train in that house too as soon as the current tenants move out. Johnson says the department gets access to structures like this about once a year for training.
"We're interested in getting more acquired structures," said Johnson. Not every structure meets the department's criteria, but interested parties should call Jefferson County Fire & EMS at 541-475-7274.
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