A group of five volunteer firefighters from Botsford Fire Rescue Company Inc recently attended an intensive four-day firefighting training program designed to sharpen their skills in putting out fires and making rescues.

The training event, billed as The Best Damn Fire Conference (Ever To Be Held in a Vacant Hotel/Casino on the Las Vegas Strip), ran from November 11 through 14. Las Vegas, a city of almost 600,000 in southern Nevada, is a major resort.

The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund sponsored the event. That fund benefits firefighters in need. The fund is named in the memory of a New York City firefighter who died on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.

Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia led the Botsford contingent at the training event. Also attending were Second Assistant Chief Patrick Keough, Captain Jeff Dugan, Engineer Ed Powers, and Training Officer Bill McAllister.

The fire district for Botsford, one of five local volunteer fire companies, covers the south-central section of Newtown.

The five Botsford firefighters spent several busy days learning how to improve their emergency services skills during training sessions conducted by experts in emergency services, Chief Ciaccia said.

The chief of operations for the Los Angeles County Fire Department held classes on incident command, Chief Ciaccia said. Other teachers at the event are employed by the fire departments in Denver, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.

Chief Ciaccia estimated that about 300 firefighters attended the training conference. He described the event as “four days of hands-on training.”

Besides incident-command training, instruction was provided in the areas of elevator rescue, fire engine operations, and fire truck operations.

Chief Ciaccia said the event occurred at the vacant Riviera hotel/casino, which allowed firefighters to do “destructive training.” Such training allows objects to be destroyed for the sake of training. The hotel is slated to be demolished next year.

The training sessions ran for nine hours a day, requiring that firefighters be well rested for each day’s activities, Chief Ciaccia said.

The fire chief described the event as “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to train a in hotel like that.” The vacant hotel is 26 stories tall and contains many elevators.

“This was the best training for us ever,” Chief Ciaccia said.

The fire chief explained that the Botsford firefighters used vacation time from their jobs to attend the fire conference.

The Town of Newtown covered costs for the training classes, hotel stays, and airline tickets, with the firefighters paying for their food, the chief said.

The training will aid the Botsford firefighters provide better service to their community, Chief Ciaccia said.