Firefighters try new training

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Fire Department teamed up with the state Fire Marshal’s Office to test a pilot training program for firefighter safety survival.

Firefighters practiced situations in which they could get trapped inside a building or house. They were blind-folded and crawled through sets designed to look like hallways and rooms. They used props, collapsed floors and rooves and crawled through debris.

Firefighters say practice like today’s is a crucial part of training.

“It’s something that has to be worked on all the time,” Capt. Greg Fix said, “so if you don’t ever practice it, to try and do it at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning in a smoked out building or high heat conditions it’s very hard.”

The training ends Friday.