'LIFE FIRE' TRAINING SESSION AT JACKSON

JACKSON -- Firefighters from a half-dozen fire departments participated in a "live fire" training exercise Saturday.

The training, conducted south of Jackson on County Road 318, off Highway 25, was a day-long fire safety and training program conducted and sponsored by Jackson Fire Rescue.

Firefighters -- more than 30 of them -- from Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, Marble Hill Fruitland and Delta participated in the program.

The training certified firemen to meet current Missouri Fire Fighting standards.

A number of fires were set at the house during the day.

"We had 10 different crews in training," said Steve Baugh, a fireman and public information officer with the Jackson Fire Department.

Crews trained in various categories, including search and rescue, fire tact, ventilation and RIT (rapid intervention team).

"At the end of the training, we burned the house," said Baugh.

Fireman also had an opportunity to see two new pieces of fire fighting equipment at work -- a thermal imaging camera, and a bazooka air-pressure water cannon -- provided for demonstration by a fire fighting equipment company.

The camera "sees through walls," said Baugh. "You can see the hot spots in the walls."

The bazooka cannon is designed to fight fire with less water.

"We used it on a car fire during the training session Saturday," said Baugh.