Watch Firefighters Torch Forest Hill Home

FOREST HILL, MD -- The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company burned down a house Saturday for training purposes.

Columns of smoke billowed as the crew set fire to the property, which it had acquired, on East Jarrettsville Road.

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The exercise began at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. In addition to Bel Air, members of the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company participated.

“This type of training helps firefighters develop their skills in a safe but realistic environment,” Gardiner explained during a previous live fire exercise.

At the house near Friends Park on Saturday, firefighters reviewed national safety standards for live fire training and did a walk-through before conducting drills on the premises for several hours. After 1 p.m., they allowed the house to go into “free burn” mode, Gardiner said.

Practicing their skills in acquired structures exposes firefighters to types of buildings they would find in Harford County and enables them to develop their technical firefighting and search and rescue skills in a real-world setting.

Photo Credit: Mark Ensor, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.