(10/27) Smoke bellowed out of the former JR Sports Bar and Restaurant. It’s okay, Frederick County fire departments are already on scene. In fact, they started it.
Taking advantage of the soon to be demolished building to make way for the new Woodsboro Town Hall, fire departments from across the north end of Frederick County participated in three days of Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training, September 29 through October 1.
The former restaurant building, which was set for demolition to become the new Woodsboro Town Hall, was utilized by several fire departments for hands-on training.
John Arnold, Frederick County Fire Academy Instructor, guided groups entering the building on the best tactics when entering a smoky building and in performing realistic RIT rescue maneuvers.
"It’s a good time to make mistakes, hone skills and get better at the job," Arnold said.
Bringing different departments together also allows them to acclimate with each other and with various types of apparatus before the event of a high stakes emergency.
Presented with a unique opportunity, the building was opened for training as the town of Woodsboro prepares to demolish the former restaurant to make room for the new town hall.
Fire fighters from multiple departments included Frederick County, Liberty Town, as well as Walkersville, Woodsboro, Emmitsburg, and Thurmont.
The training situations are imperative for occurrences that, while do not occur too often, can happen in the blink of an eye when they do happen, and require firefighters to be ready for anything.
"Theatrical smoke" provided coverage to simulate a real interior building fire situation.
RIT implements firefighters as search and rescue teams to scope out conditions and then forcibly enter a building. RIT duties include creating access points and rescuing those trapped in the building.
The training exercises were unscripted for everyone from the battalion chiefs outside calling commands to the firefighters inside.
The training provided realistic simulation of one of their own in distress, and Arnold knew the fire fighters made good use of the exercises to use for their next calls.
Following the building entry and rescue of the dummy victim, Arnold debriefed with teams in a positive learning environment to help drive home what aspects of the ‘rescue’ worked and what could be utilized differently instead.
While the departments can drill what they want, anything can happen in the event of an emergency, and first responders must be ready for anything, Arnold said.
The RIT exercises provided much sought-after training to prepare for when situations go sideways and help fire departments be ready to serve the community.
"Everyone seemed to benefit, it was a great opportunity," Frederick County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Charles Scott said.
Following the fire training, the former restaurant was physically torn down October 18, reducing the iconic eatery and drinking hole to a pile of rubble in just a few short hours. With all remnants hauled away, the location is now left essentially an empty lot.
The Town of Woodsboro is currently awaiting Frederick County permit approval so official work for the new town hall can begin.
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