Old Restaurant Cooks Up One Final Serving For Vernon Fire Department

VERNON, CT — A former restaurant in Vernon made one more community contribution before it meets the wrecking ball.

Vernon Fire Department crews were granted access to the former Pancho Loco Mexican restaurant on Route 83 over the past few days for various drills and training exercises.

Inside the building, firefighters used a smoke machine to simulate low-light conditions like those encountered during a structure fire.

Crews practiced advancing hose-lines into the building and performing searches.

A thermal imaging camera was utilized to see through the thick smoke in order to more easily locate someone who may be trapped inside a building.

Here is a view from the camera:

Outside, crews practiced ventilation techniques using ladders and a ladder truck.

Here is one example:

"This birds-eye-view from Tower 541 shows just one example of what we may encounter during ventilation efforts of a fire, to include roofs of differing pitches, chimneys, exhaust fans and vents," Fire officials said.

In April, conceptual plans were laid out for a small strip plaza on the Pancho Loco property at 218 Talcottville Road (the local name for Route 83) and next door at the current Lazy Liquor property at No. 212. Stores measuring between 2,000 square feet and 14,000 square feet would be available over a 20,500-square-foot building, according to the plans.

South Windsor-based Zagdev Toor owns the properties. He said he closed on the Pancho parcel at the end of March (Pancho closed at the end of February) and has since had a formal site plan approved by local regulatory agencies.

The land around the liquor store has been cleared and Toor said everything would be razed to make way for the new plaza. Construction is expected to begin soon, Verno planning officials said.

Fire officials said opportunities to work in older buildings are relished.

"We'd like to extend our gratitude to the owners of the former Pancho Loco's facility for allowing us to utilize the building prior to demolition," officials said. "We truly appreciate when property owners such as this support our training efforts by allowing us to hone our skills and practice various firefighting and life-saving tactics."