A trip through a burning trailer with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue

I was invited to take part in training with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue in the demonstration fire trailer on Tuesday, an experience I won't soon forget, even though the temperatures I experienced were far below that of a real fire.

As I put on my fire pants, jacket, boots and head gear, my respect for firefighters instantly grew (even though it was already high on the scale). The heavy clothing protected my skin and clothing as I was exposed to 500 degrees, something most of us will never feel.

But the 500 degrees I went through is nothing compared to what a normal fire presents to fire departments. A typical house fire will burn at 1700 degrees, and the firefighters will carry about 50 pounds of clothing and air tanks, along with tools and hoses.

The training trailer is in South Lake Tahoe for the week to give firefighters an experience of entering a burning building, rescuing people from a second floor (Fire Battalion Chief Tim Spencer played that role), and putting out an intense fire. In the past, fire crews were able to practice their skills when removing old buildings as they burned them instead of bulldozed, but environmental codes today prevent that.

The cost of $4,500 dollars a day, the training trailer is a much needed tool for staff to gain experience. It will be on the South Shore for three days so all shifts of firefighters can go through several times with several different scenarios.

Standards for firefighting state that 21 people per shift is desirable in order to provide the desired response crew, three times the normal staffing levels in South Lake Tahoe. Even if SLTFR pulled in surrounding help from the Tahoe Douglas and Lake Valley Fire Departments, there would be 17 people at a fire. Due to these numbers the training is not only helpful, but necessary to keep those staffing levels at the top of their game.

I was nervous in my short time in the burning trailer, breathing through my face mask and crawling behind Chief Jeff Meston, and in front of Captain Kim George. Prior to entering I was briefed by Meston and his fire crew who alerted me to the emergency exit buttons as they strapped on my helmet and air tank. Normally, a firefighter would be in a fire about 45 minutes before having to exit to get a new air tank before heading back in.

Thank you South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue!