Vacant Building Provides Training for Duluth Firefighters

DULUTH - The old Midas building is set for demolition, but before it comes down, Duluth firefighters are using it to sharpen their skills."It’s just great for us,” Duluth Fire Department Training Chief Mike Consie said. “It gives us a chance to get inside different structures that we normally don't get to practice in and see different layouts and stuff."

Members Cooperative Credit Union recently purchased the property to build a new branch there.

Before they do, they're giving the Duluth Fire Department the chance to train in the vacant building before its bulldozed.

"We've actually had a higher number of structural fires in the last couple of months than our normal average,” said Consie. “So this is a really good time just to kind of capitalize on some of the things that we've been doing inside the structure fires."

Inside this shop, they must put their search and rescue skills to the test. To practice saving employees and customers just like they would in a real emergency.

"Maintaining that point of contact, using the thermal energy camera as a tool but not relying on it and just searching wide open spaces,” said Consie. "Definitely more challenging cause you have the wide open spaces."

After the training is complete, the firefighters will debrief and come up with even better scenarios.

Fire officials say they would love to train on other structures they aren't being used anymore or slated for demolition. So if you have a building that falls in one of those categories, give them a call.