Chimney Fire Drill Sharpens Members' Skills
 
By Ex Chief Dean W. Pappas
February 3, 2020
 

Chimney fires remain one of the most dangerous calls fire departments can go on. They usually occur in extreme cold, and it's usually very hard to find how far a fire has extended up a chimney. Attacking a chimney fire usually requires approaching it from both ground level, at the fireplace, and from roof level, at the chimney's opening. Monday night's chimney fire drill went over positioning the ladder truck so that fire fighters are best positioned to fight a chimney fire. Members went up on the roof of the firehouse, where they were oriented to the various tools used to combat a chimney fire. The drill then moved downstairs, where a demonstration of a misting nozzle was given. The misting nozzle shoots out a fine mist at low pressure. When the nozzle is lowered down a chimney and activated, the mist covers a very large area of the chimney's interior, thus increasing the chances of completely extinguishing the fire.