The newest two firefighters at Great Falls Fire Rescue trained with live fire as they neared completion of their recruit academy.

On May 22, firefighters lit pallets in the metal structure at the training center so the rookies could get familiar with fire behavior and growth, tactics, communications, experience the heat and learn their equipment.

Jeremy Virts, GFFR’s deputy chief of operations, said one of most important aspects of live training for new firefighters is understanding their gear, how to use it and its limitations.

“Every buckle on there means something,” Virts said, so they make sure everything is exactly in place to protect themselves.

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Live burns are structured, because even in training, it’s dangerous and firefighters can be hurt if anything goes wrong.

Virts said they have a burn plan, walk through the space beforehand ensuring clear exits, a rescue crew on scene and debrief after each evolution.

On May 22, they were taking rookies through two different rounds with the first focused on fire behavior and the second on how to attack fire.

Each rookie took a turn going through the exercise with Bryan Martinez, recruit academy instructor, who went through the academy himself in 2015.

Great Falls Fire/Rescue trains rookies [Tribune 2015]

Thursday’s training didn’t include searching for or rescuing victims.

When GFFR gets their new training tower and makes other improvements to the training center facility, it will broaden their training opportunities for more live burn training with more rooms to change patterns and scenarios, Virts said.

It will also allow for high-angle technical rescue, forced entry and general fire operations, according to GFFR.

In April, City Commissioners voted 4-1 to apply for a $2.5 million Montana Board of Investments intercap loan to finance Great Falls Fire Rescue’s training center renovations.

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City staff applied for the state loan for up to $2.5 million and use the 3.5 mills that were redirected from the Great Falls Public Library to the city’s general fund through a renegotiation of the library’s management agreement.

MBOI is scheduled to hear the request during their June 4 meeting.

In April, GFFR Chief Jeremy Jones told The Electric that the project can be broken into three parts, one for the existing tower demolition, the second for the groundwork and third construction of the new training tower/prop.

Jones said he’s hoping the work can begin this year, but depending on timing, may not be completed until next year.

In February, City Manager Greg Doyon said he had authorized GFFR to purchase a mobile training prop as a stopgap.

The mobile training prop is $59,850 and the GFFR Foundation purchased the trailer to move it between fire stations and other training locations for about $12,000.

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“This training prop is not a substitute for the full rebuild of our training facility but serves as a critical stopgap measure to sustain training efforts until the new training center is completed. The prop will provide hands-on training opportunities, ensuring that our firefighters are prepared to respond effectively to emergencies,” according to GFFR’s budget worksheet for the purchase. “This strategic investment ensures that GFFR personnel remain highly trained and ready to serve while we work toward the long-term goal of rebuilding our dedicated training facility.”

The prop fits within a standard parking space, so it can be transported to each fire station for training in different districts and can be used within the engine bays during inclement weather, according to GFFR.

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The prop is being purchased with funds collected through enforcement of their ambulance transport performance contract, which are unrestricted and GFFR typically uses those funds toward large items.

The prop is being built and GFFR is scheduled to receive it in July.

For a few months, they were using a prop on loan, Virts said, so rookies could get through the standard basic firefighter training. They had to return that prop in April.

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GFFR is also training over the next few weeks using the former Fiesta En Jalisco restaurant in front Holiday Village Mall for roof cuts and search and rescue. Virts said they’ll probably be using the smoke machine and manikins to simulate victims for scenario based training.

They won’t be doing live burns in the restaurant that is scheduled for demolition soon to make way for a new Texas Roadhouse.

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GFFR also has permission to use some existing structures, such as the former downtown Hardees, before demolition before construction of the new Clearwater Credit Union.

Fire Marshal Mike McIntosh said that GFFR will also be using the house on an eastside property that the city recently purchased for a future stormwater facility.

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The house has a number of issues and isn’t needed for the planned stormwater facility so GFFR will use it for training before it’s fully demolished.

During the May 22 training, Virts said the exercise lets the rookies experience heat and live fire to get used to how it behaves and how their gear functions.

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A focus is also communication to “to instill muscle memory in these new guys,” Virts said.

Schmidt said firefighters build proficiency over years of experience, but the training helps expose them to the heat and fire behavior.

Training, especially with live fire, is the place to notice deficiencies and weaknesses to make corrections in a controlled environment with more firefighters around in case anything goes wrong, rather than during a real world event, Schmidt said.

Fire dynamics and behavior have predictable components, Schmidt said, “but what’s not predictable is what’s burning.”

Some construction materials are more flammable than others, there’s more synthetics in construction and furniture, and if there are any fuels in or near a structure, they can create a volatile fire situation.

GFFR conducting training at former Loading Zone [2024]

Matt Patterson and Daniel Juneau are the two most recent GFFR hires.

Patterson is from Fairfield and worked as a volunteer firefighter, but wanted a career change.

He said he was learning a lot through the academy and “getting to play with live fire is a whole different ball game.”

Patterson had been on a few calls as a volunteer firefighter, but there’s more going on when making the jump to being a professional firefighter, he said.

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Juneau has been working as a full-time firefighter at the Montana Air National Guard.

“I grew up in Great Falls and seen these crews, seen these guys my entire life,” Juneau said.

His goal after graduating high school was to become a firefighter.

The ultimate goal, he said, was to stay in Great Falls and become a city firefighter.