The demolition of the old concession stand at Babcook Field presented Washington firefighters with the rare opportunity for more realistic training.
Thursday nights are training nights for the Washington Fire Department and April 1, the firefighters and EMTs were given a residential house-fire scenario with a possible victim inside.
A smoke generator filled the building with smoke.
With a possible victim inside, Fire Chief Mike Vaughn said the focus was on search and rescue type training, including self-contained breathing apparatus drills, ladder work, cutting holes in the roof and ventilation, and forcing open the door.
Vaughn said this type of realistic training is critical for the volunteers.
“Fortunately, we don’t have that many house fires in Washington. So in order to keep our skills up and train new folks, we need to have these opportunities,” he said.
But Vaughn said it is very rare to have a real building in which to train.
On most Thursday evenings, the staff must make do with hose and ladder work in the parking lot of the fire department facility on Wilmor Road.
One solution Vaughn is actively pursuing is a permanent fire training facility that would allow the staff to train more realistically every week.
Dunlap and Peoria are the closest towns with similar training facilities, and Vaughn said he tries to take the Washington volunteers to Peoria to train at least once a year.
“It’s an invaluable tool,” Vaughn said, adding it would greatly benefit the department’s volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.
Vaughn is currently talking with Washington city officials to secure funding for the $250,000 building.
“It’s one of the top things I’m trying to get accomplished in the next few years. It just depends on how the funding goes,” Vaughn said.
The biggest argument for a new training facility, Vaughn said, is safety.
“We want our guys to be able to keep their skills up so they are safe.”
