Careyville site of drills
By Clara Kilbourn - The Hutchinson News - Feb. 17, 2010





As part of what he called a near perfect training exercise, veteran Hutchinson firefighter Tony Asberry crawled down from the roof of an abandoned house and joined his crew on the ground.

On Tuesday, firefighters from stations across the city worked in shifts, using two abandoned Careyville houses on William Street to practice their skills.
Armed with chainsaws, they cut holes for roof ventilation and forced their way into the sides of the structures with wall breach openings.

"We're practicing things we normally don't get to do," said Training Capt. Shawn Kelley, "like breaching an outside wall, as we would have to do in the case of someone being trapped inside a room with primary and secondary openings blocked."

The wall breach practice gave them the opportunity to realize how hard it is to bust through a wall and enter a building with an air pack, Kelley said. The 16-inch studs forced them to remove the air packs from their backs, crawl into the opening and pull the pack in behind them.

"It's a drill we hope we never have to put into play," he said.

One house roof with five layers of shingles provided another reality check.

The two houses, one with brick walls and the other a wood-frame building, allowed the men to simulate roof ventilations and forced entry.

"It's basically free training," said Capt. Kenny Graham, assigned to Station No. 5 at Hendricks and 11th Avenue and working with firefighters Asberry and Tom Beier. "You just don't get that every day."

Asberry, a 36-year veteran firefighter, noted that they were working in daylight and nice weather.

"We're usually hands-on," he said. "This is safer."

They have been waiting for the houses to become available, Kelly said.

"It's the optimum opportunity for us," he said.