A new training tower was recently completed at the Snohomish County Fire District 1 heaquarters in Everett. Fire District 1 serves the city of Mountlake Terrace as well as several other Snohomish County cities.

Recently, the engine company from Mountlake Terrace Fire Station 19 trained in the tower and Leslie Hynes, the Public Information Officer for FD1, sent some photos our way, see them below.

The tower is equipped with pipes that can pump simulated smoke throughout the tower or into selected rooms. The drill simulated conditions and tasks firefighters would encounter responding to a fire in a multi-story building. Firefighters first had to use a training prop to simulate forcing a door open, then carry bundles of hose upstairs to the third floor. They also had to hoist hose bundles using a pulley system, use a prop to simulate cutting a ventilation hole in the roof and use another prop to simulate pulling sheetrock off of a ceiling. After all that, they had to search through the smoke-filled tower to locate and rescue a missing firefighter (a mannequin).

Fire District 1 will have grand opening for the public on Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with tours of the tower, demonstrations of firefighting skills, activities for children, photos with the 1925 REO antique fire engine, 9-1-1 call simulator and Hazard House interactive presentation. I remember going to one of these in North Bend at the Fire Academy as a kid and had a blast watching the drills.