BILLINGS — The Billings Fire Department is using a county-owned house to conduct intensive, realistic training scenarios.
For the past three weeks, crews have filled the structure with non-toxic smoke and used advanced technology to sharpen their skills.
"This is the third week of training that we've done here over multiple, different evolutions," Billings Fire Department Training Chief Bryan Francis said Wednesday.
Watch Bryan Francis talk about the training:
Francis said typical training takes place in Conex containers with hardwood floors and metal sides, making this house a unique opportunity for the department.
"Some of them involving fire attack where we use a simulated fire panel and smoke. Some of them on vent, enter, isolate and search, V-E-I-S, where we throw a ladder to the second story, break the window out and go inside. And then some of them on firefighter rescue," Francis said.
The department is using waterproof panels with sensors to simulate fires and detect when they are extinguished by hose streams. They also use drones, radios, and water-based fog generators.
"It's a panel that's waterproof that allows us to flow our hose streams and hit it and simulate a fire and then also simulate. It has sensors inside that simulate when the fire goes out," Francis said. "We also use a water-based fog product out of, we call it a smoke machine, but it's basically a fog generator that's non-toxic. So if we do have any kind of issue inside, we can get our crews out safely," Francis said.
Francis said that they are keeping up with technology trends and what's next.
"Technology is always changing. So we're always trying to keep up pace, and this is a great opportunity to try this," Francis said.
The property has a unique history before becoming a training ground for state, federal and local law enforcement and firefighters.
"It's very difficult, like I said, to find a structure that's like this," Francis said. "In this structure in particular, it's been used by, as far as I know, state, federal, and local resources," Francis said.
Yellowstone County Administrative Capt. Kent O'Donnell said the county purchased the property years ago and used it as a rental until about a year ago.
"We're kind of sitting around thinking a little bit, what can we use the house for?" O'Donnell said. "Yellowstone County bought this property quite a few years ago. Actually it was a rental property for up to about a year ago."
This is the same property where 42 dogs were staying after being seized in a Shepherd raid.
"We used this property where we house the dogs from Shepherd that we wound up seizing back in September so for about two months we house 42 dogs down here," O'Donnell said.
To prepare the house for training sessions, the county relies on community service workers.
"We've utilized the sheriff's labor detail where folks that have a community service hours to come in so they've come over here and helped us clean up and get the house ready for the next training," O'Donnell said.
O'Donnell said that the property will be demolished within the next few months.
