On Friday, April 9, 2010, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) will be conducting a training house burn at 148th and NE Sacramento in Portland, Oregon. The Burn to Learn training will provide valuable live-fire training in an actual residential structure for eighteen newly hired Firefighter Recruits.

The Burn to Learn will begin around 9:00 a.m. when PF&R training officers will set small fires in the house. The training officers will accompany firefighter recruits inside to extinguish the fires. The process will be supervised by experienced, career firefighters and will follow strict safety guidelines. Once the training drills for the Firefighter Recruits are completed, the house will be allowed to burn in a controlled and safe manner.

Portland firefighters from Truck 13 will also be at the burn, practicing roof ventilation tactics.

This training will provide the eighteen Firefighter Recruits with an opportunity to practice advanced firefighting techniques in a live fire setting and will save taxpayer money by reducing the amount of demolition debris that must be removed from the site.

Portland Fire & Rescue conducts these types of training burns several times a year. Training Staff Fire Lieutenant Jerry Bartolome notes, "Burn to Learn training exercises are especially valuable for PF&R's newest firefighters by allowing them to observe fire behavior and smoke conditions in a burning structure." Lieutenant Bartolome added, "Firefighters are able to learn the limits of their equipment and practice tactics in a controlled environment."

The Burn to Learn training exercise will be held adjacent to Margaret Scott Elementary School. However, a teacher in-service day is scheduled for April 9, 2010 and students will not be present at the school when the Burn to Learn occurs. As part of the pre-planning for the exercise, PF&R training officers met with staff and students at the school to help them understand the coming change in their neighborhood.

For questions or to learn more about Portland Fire's Burn to Learn training, contact Training Staff Fire Lieutenant Jerry Bartolome at (503) 823-4116.

Visit PF&R's website at http://www.portlandoregon.gov/fire to learn more!

April 9, 2010