09/26/2009

A former Bakertown grocery store on Main Street went up in flames Saturday. But it was a controlled burn set intentionally as a training maneuver for local firefighters, according to Franklin Fire Chief Peggy Davis. She said personnel from her department along with volunteer firemen from Centerville and Coteau trained on search and rescue, hose and water applications, exposure protection, trapped entry, rapid recovery, building collapse, pump operations, scene sizeup, self-contained breathing apparatus, positioning apparatus in a collapse zone, extinguishment, tandem pumping, relay pumping and flashover. Davis extended appreciation to Thomson Realty and Keith Landen, who donated the building for training, as well as Mayor Raymond Harris, Sheriff David Naquin and citizens from the neighborhood who supported and came out to experience the training. ``It is a rare opportunity for us to get a building like this for us to be able to train with, and we took every advantage to get the best training we could,'' Davis said. ``We really appreciate the fact so many people were behind us to make sure this training happened.'' 

Courtesy of The Banner-Tribune