Summit Fire Authority to Conduct "Live Fire" Training in Frisco on May 14,

Wednesday, May 09, 2007 - Summit County, CO

Neighbors and visitors near the intersection of 3rd and Granite Streets in Frisco may be surprised on May 14, 15 and 17 when they see local firefighters repeatedly setting fire, then attacking, the former Frisco Tire Store structure on the corner. Onlookers need not be confused or concerned, though. Through the generosity of Mr. Steve Riddle, the owner of both the property and the structure, firefighters will be participating in critically important training to help hone their skills under real, but controlled, conditions.

"You can sit in class, you can drag empty hose around and you can practice crawling and company tactics, but you cannot replicate fire training without a burning structure," notes Capt Paul Kuhn, Training Captain of the Summit Fire Authority’s High Country Training Center. "This unique opportunity will allow us, under controlled conditions, to test new tactics and firefighter coordination in a real fire environment," adds Kuhn.

This round of training will involve every fire department in the County and will take place on the three days from around 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. While the training objectives are many, one of the goals is to minimize the local area impact of the training. Although Granite Street will remain open to traffic during the training, 3rd Street will be closed from Granite to Teller. The alley between Granite and Teller off of 3rd street will also be closed. There will be firefighters, tools, engines and trucks in the area training and consequently, there will be some noise and smell of smoke. Another goal, of course, is firefighter safety. Safety officers and training specialists will be on site, both inside and outside the structure, during drills to ensure maximum safety of participating personnel.

Firefighters welcome onlookers and inquiries on the training, but request the public’s cooperation in observing from a safe distance and not entering the training area where crews are working.

"The Summit Fire Authority greatly appreciates the property owner’s and the public’s support for this training. This is a chance to enhance our capabilities and to increase our efficiency in saving local lives and property when the real thing happens," notes Kuhn.

---

Press Contact:
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Brandon Williams,
Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue
(970) 513-4245

---

« Back