The monthly training topic for May emphasized a very real threat to life and safety in Park City, vehicle fires in large underground parking structures. The Chateaux at Silver Lake allowed us to use the bottom level of their garage, three stories below ground! All lighting was shut off and artificial smoke was created to simulate “black out” conditions. Crews had to decide what tools and equipment to bring with them from the street level and had to select an appropriate method of radio communication, since standard channels do not work underground. After taking the stairs to lower levels, the crews actually connected to the Chateaux’s water supply in the stairwell, extended a fully charged hose into the darkened garage, and found a simulated burning vehicle (actually a large space heater next to a car) with a thermal imaging camera. The training and experience gained by our firefighters through this operation was very valuable and will allow us to better serve in the future. Special thanks to the staff at the Chateaux and Stein Erickson Lodge for the accommodations and cooperation which was essential to a successful training scenario.
