Fire and EMS recruits heat up for investigation training exercise

You may have seen some smoke and fire on 5 St N in Lethbridge on Thursday morning.  It was nothing to be alarmed about, as it was all part of a training exercise for Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.

New recruits of Lethbridge Fire & Emergency services underwent a fiery training session.  Two burn cells were ignited with different fuel sources to demonstrate how flames develop, with the recruits performing post-burn pattern analysis.

The first simulation was to demonstrate the burn pattens of a normal combustible source, such as leaving a lit cigarette.  The second, was to simulate an arson-like situation, such as a person wanting to destroy things that could remind them of an ex-partner or bad relationship. New recruit Steven Bergeron says that the world-class training offered is not available to firefighters in all cities, and he is fortunate to have received it.

The furniture items used in the training session were donated by the staff of Paul Davis, a restoration company in Lethbridge.