SHFD Burns House on Duplex Road for Training

spring hill fire burn on duplex

The Spring Hill Fire Department conducted the first of three live fire training exercises on Saturday.

The exercises will all conclude with fully involved fires in three houses acquired by the City of Spring Hill as part of the property right-of-way needed for the state to widen Duplex Road.

On Saturday an empty house on Duplex Road between Main Street and Locke Avenue was the site of the training from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It concluded with a live burn, seen below in the video, courtesy of Spring Hill’s YouTube channel:

Bleachers will be set up for public spectators at all the burns. Williamson and Maury County Fire Departments also will join in the training.

The next live burns will occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 22 and 29. Duplex Road will be shut down from Main Street to Locke Avenue starting at 7 a.m. on each of these days.duplex spring hill fire department

The City of Spring Hill has been issued a permit by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) allowing for a controlled burn of the three adjacent structures at the addresses 2529, 2531/2533, and 2535 Duplex Road.

Prior to the live burns, the fire department will use the vacant homes for smoke, ventilation, and rescue training, while the Spring Hill Police Department will use them for SWAT training, allowing officers to practice safely going through a dimly lit house in scenarios involving searching rooms for potential armed suspects.

This will allow all Spring Hill Firefighters on all three shifts to receive live burn training. The same training scenarios will occur on each of these Saturdays, such as starting a fire in a burn barrel in an individual room to allow firefighters to witness how a fire progresses up walls and ceilings, and to navigate through a smoke-filled room. The fire will be extinguished each time, allowing different groups to experience this training exercise.

When each crew has been through this training, between noon and 1 p.m., the structure will become a fully involved fire, allowing firefighters to train in the most extreme firefighting situation. Each home will be burned to the ground in preparation for TDOT’s upcoming widening of Duplex Road. The training also will be recorded by firefighters’ live video helmet cameras.

duplex spring hill fire department“This is truly the best training you can offer a fire department, especially the rookie firefighters, because it’s a real working fire without so much of the danger and risk,” said Spring Hill Fire Chief Terry Hood, who has participated in many live burns during his 34 years of firefighting.

“These are not controlled gas prop burns, which do not put out the same smoke, heat and fire as a true Class A combustible material burn, yet we will take every possible safety precaution in advance of the live burns to ensure the safety of everyone involved. That’s the number one priority.”

For example, all window and door frames will be prepped so they can be pushed out in case of an emergency. Thermal cameras will be used inside the burning structure to measure the temperature of the fire and ensure firefighters vacate the structure at a safe juncture. Trees have been removed in front of one of the homes to ensure firefighters can easily access the front yard. A lifelike dummy will be used for rescue practice. An air supply refill unit will be onsite to ensure firefighters’ air packs stay filled. There will be a team of fire safety officers on the scene, both inside and outside the house, to ensure firefighters in training are following procedures and taking appropriate precautions.

SHFD has invited neighboring fire departments to take advantage of this optimum training opportunity, including 12 new recruits from Maury County Fire Department, and 15 new recruits from Williamson County Fire & Rescue. New recruits are required to participate in a live burn to ready them to assist with fighting a real-life structure fire in their respective counties. It also allows the departments to practice mutual aid duties.