Elkridge Holds First Live House Fire Training in 5 Years

Next week, Howard County will assess lessons learned from a recent fire training exercise in Elkridge.

The  on Oct. 30 was monumental for Elkridge and Howard County, said officials.

“The last training of this type conducted in Howard County occurred in 2006,” said John Jerome, chief of education and training for Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS).

The department stopped doing live fire trainings for a few reasons, said Jerome.

“Several significant injuries and deaths have occurred nationally," he said, adding one was local; in 2007, a Baltimore City firefighter died in a training exercise in west Baltimore.

Technological advances since then made it possible to simulate interior fires with propane or pallets and straw, said Jerome. HCDFRS used a simulator at its training center in Marriottsville (installed in 2008) and visited burn simulation buildings in other parts of the state.

But Jerome said simulators have "limitations in teaching fire and smoke behavior."

Training in acquired structures, on the other hand, exposes firefighters to types of buildings they would find in Howard County, said Jerome, plus it teaches them firsthand "how construction and layout affect search and rescue, smoke travel, fire travel, and proper water application."

Approximately 50 firefighters from the Elkridge area got that real-world experience when they ignited wooden pallets on Lawyers Hill on Sunday in a house donated for demolition.

It was the first such exercise that HCDFRS conducted since a policy took effect last month enabling the department to conduct live fire training in acquired structures.

“The [HC]DFRS policy is the culmination of more than a year of research into safety standards and best practices and analysis of department resources and operational procedures,” said Jerome.

“The policy was then extensively reviewed with the County Office of Law to ensure compliance with legal regulations, and also with other county departments and offices, such as the Office of Risk Management and the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits," he said.

Safety was built into every layer of the the Oct. 30 training in Elkridge, said officials.

The day was structured "with a strict 5:1 instructor-to-student ratio," said Captain John Merson, who coordinated the exercise.

"We also have two layers of safety officers in place, accountability is very high, and there's constant communication between people who are coming in and out of the building," said Merson, during an interview at the training site.

To be suitable for training, structures had to meet certain requirements to ensure safety, said Battalion Chief Eric Proctor, including that they could withstand multiple fires.

“There have to be two exits out of each room, the carpet has to be taken up, you need two sources of water…” Proctor said, listing some of the requirements.

Trinity Homes donated two houses to HCDFRS, and only one of them was suitable for the live fire training, said Proctor, speaking with Patch as smoke poured out of the windows of the Lawyers Hill home.

Officials said afterward that the training was a success for Elkridge and for Howard County.

“This is a great opportunity for the fire department just to be able to do this," said Chief Don Watson. "Getting this back is something we’ve been working on for years."

The department's commitment to safety is ongoing, according to officials, who plan to continually review procedures.

"There will be a meeting next week to discuss lessons learned," said Jackie Cutler, spokeswoman for HCDFRS. "We have another live fire burn tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19."