Firefighters use doomed hotel for training

Last week, Cape Girardeau firefighters broke down every door in one wing of the Drury Lodge that is being torn down this week.

Firefighter Jamie Hann thought it was pretty fun, on top of being educational.

"It's dynamic training we don't get to do on a regular basis," Hann said. "Not many businesses donate to us. It's fun to get out with the crew."

The training was less destructive Monday, but applicable to real-world firefighting. A team of firefighters was forced into an unlit ballroom and had to maneuver from the walls to the middle of the room.

They used a thermal-imaging camera but had only one. They mostly relied on communication and a rope to find their way to a victim.

The room was larger than some houses, but it works well as an example of an office building or large retail store.

Battalion chief Brad Dillow talked about a scenario of trying to find victims in a pitch-black, smoke-filled Super Wal-Mart and how it would be easy for a firefighter to become disoriented.

"We want them to get the basic skills down," Dillow said.

Different firefighter shifts will conduct large-room training through Wednesday. On Thursday, they will begin structure-collapse work, cutting away concrete in some areas.

Next week, they will light fires inside the building, with Dillow taking every precaution possible.

"Just about everything we do there is an element of danger," Dillow said. "Anytime you set a live fire, there's always a level of risk."

Dillow said, however, this type of training is invaluable for getting as close to a real fire situation as possible.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department does not have a training facility, and when it doesn't have a building such as the Drury Lodge for training, some of these skills are taught in a classroom instead.

"We don't get much complaining," Dillow said the hands-on training this week. "They'd much rather do this than look at a projector."

The fire department has worked with Drury Hotels since it learned from a city inspector about plans for the Drury Lodge building.

When the department was given a go-ahead for training, it had only two weeks to prepare lesson plans and choreograph the scenarios.

"They want to get these buildings down as quick as possible," Dillow said of Drury.

Fire departments from Scott City, Sikeston and Jackson also will participate in training exercises over the next two weeks.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

104 Vantage Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.