Fire Drill At Fairfield Hills—

Where There’s Smoke…

The Newtown Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company March 18 hosted area firefighting trainees at a Fairfield Hills fire drill held as part of a basic firefighting course.

 The practical session was the final class of the Firefighter I instructional course, said Bill McAllister, Newtown Hook and Ladder’s assistant fire chief for training and fire prevention.

Firefighters lit a controlled fire in a concrete garage adjacent to a vacant brick house to generate smoke to simulate firefighting conditions, Mr McAllister said. About 30 people participated in the drill.

Hook & Ladder has found Fairfield Hills to be a good training ground for firefighting, Mr McAllister said, noting the variety of large vacant buildings.

While the drill was underway, firefighters practiced using a thermal imaging camera, a device designed to help them locate people and the source of fires in burning buildings.

Hook & Ladder plans to use Fairfield Hills for fire training purposes on a regular basis.

Town resident Mike Feli joined Hook & Ladder in January. Before the drill, he had been on only one call, a false alarm, so the experience gave him some perspective. “It’s been kind of hectic,” he said of the training, as he prepared to join the first wave of firefighters into the building. “You’re not sure exactly what to do,” he said.

David Hull, a seven-year firefighter from Danbury, was one of several area firefighters who helped with instruction during the drill. “Every time I do this, I learn something new,” he said. “This is what we’re here for. Everybody around us has something to contribute.”