Summit Fire Authority Wants to Help You Burn Down Your House

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - Summit County, CO

"We’d like to help you burn down your house" is not something you often hear from your local fire department, but it is a request being made by the Summit Fire Authority -- with some important clarifications necessary!

As some long-time residents may know, from time to time, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue, Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District and Copper Mountain Fire Department -- which constitute the Summit Fire Authority -- conduct controlled structural burns in the County for training purposes. Of course, these houses or condos must be donated for that purpose by the owners. This year, the Summit Fire Authority’s High Country Training Center is hoping to conduct another round of "live fire" training but does not yet have a building donated. Therefore, the Summit Fire Authority is looking to business owners and local residents that will be conducting to-the-ground remodeling or planning to build replacement homes or businesses for assistance in locating a suitable structure that the local Fire Departments can help on the "demo" end.

"There is nothing that replaces the benefits of live fire training" notes Captain Paul Kuhn, Director of the High Country Training Center. "While the fire departments routinely run drills together and work in controlled propane-generated fires at the Training Center, the opportunity to test skills, firefighting tactics and strategies in a real structure, developing fire training scenario cannot be emphasized enough," he added.

Of course, there are general requirements, specified in the National Fire Protection Association’s Code Standard 1403. In short, written authorization for both the training and the burn are required from the owner. Furthermore, an inspection will need to be conducted to verify structural integrity and to identify and remove any hazardous conditions by the Training Center. There will, of course, also need to be appropriate notifications to the neighbors and/or other adjacent structures/businesses prior to the training. All of these details regarding pre-qualifications can be handled between the Training Center and the owner.

Apart from an interesting story to tell about how you helped your community’s emergency services, the best part may be that the entire activity will be conducted at NO COST to you, the owner. While Summit Fire Authority will assist in the demo, the removal of remaining debris will be the responsibility of the owner. We can, however, promise they’ll be less debris than at the start of the training! For any inquiries or additional information, please contact Capt. Paul Kuhn, High Country Training Center, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call the Center at (970) 668-4330.

---

Press Contact:
Brandon Williams,PIO
Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue
(970) 418-0562
or
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

---

« Back