Photos Provided by Kreg Robinson Local firefighters work to put out a fire during a live burn exercise over the weekend at a farmhouse located just outside of Woodsfield. Pictured from left are Rick Russel, Payton Robinson and Tanner Brown.

WOODSFIELD — Multiple fire departments in Monroe County participated in a live burn exercise over the weekend to receive some additional training on safely extinguishing fires.

Woodsfield Fire Chief Mike Young said the Antioch and Lewisville volunteer fire departments accompanied the Woodsfield VFD in the exercise which took place at an old farmhouse on Bondi Ridge Road just outside the village. He said the practice is beneficial for the firefighters to keep up to date on safety measures when dealing with structure fires.

Around 15 firefighters dressed in turnout gear participated in the controlled fire exercise, which is conducted to practice fire control, fire management, pumping operations and tanker shuttle operations.

During the exercise, the old two-story home, which was donated by the landowner for the drill, was set ablaze by firefighters by lighting hay bales and pallets inside the abandoned home. Firefighters then took turns utilizing the equipment, operating the hose and extinguishing the flames.

Young said the live burn exercise only happens occasionally, as it can be dangerous. In fact, the last time one was conducted by the departments was more than four years ago.

“It can be dangerous, obviously, so we don’t do it very often but this was a nice house that was still 100% solid and we took advantage to use it for training purposes,” he said, adding that he was contacted by the homeowner who offered the house up for the exercise. “Some departments still do it and some don’t. They shy away from it but we, on occasion, will do it. It’s just not very often.”

Young said Sunday’s exercise went “very well.”

“We controlled the entire structure. We didn’t just light it and let it go. We controlled it, we opened up the windows, we used saws to make the window openings bigger so we could get the water in there easier. Everything fell into place and the whole house fell in on top of the basement and there was hardly any cleanup,” he said.

Once the house is burned to the ground, the homeowner assumes the responsibility for the cleanup process. Young said the property owner plans to construct a new home at the location.

Young noted that Belmont College is currently working to build a live burn training facility that will be located on the 54 acres of college-owned property between Hammond Road and Ohio 331 in St. Clairsville. This facility will provide first responders with training for structure fires, flammable gas, and flammable liquids, as well as confined space instruction, search and rescue operations, and rope rescue education, according to a prior release from the school. There are currently no approved burn-building structures in the area that can allow for this type of training.

“So we don’t have to do this (exercise conducted on Sunday) because this can be dangerous. I’ve been doing this since 1987 and I’ve been in a couple live burns where something crazy happened – the fire got fed with oxygen because a window blew open or something and all of a sudden it’s coming down on top of you,” Young said.

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