Top-down training

COEUR d’ALENE — The day before demolition began at the former Black Sheep Sporting Goods building on Monday, firefighters were cutting through the roof and smashing through walls.

It could save lives, including their own.

“This will either make or break a fire,” said Selkirk Fire, Rescue & EMS Capt. Jeff Littlefield, who is also president of the Coeur Fools (Fraternal Order of Leatherheads), a training organization. “But it will ensure the safety of the firefighters understanding the roof types and how to cut through it. But also knowing when it's not a good time to be on the roof, because it's not always a good time to be on the roof.”

About 35 firefighters from North Idaho, Spokane and the Spokane Valley spent about five hours honing their skills.

Fire trucks lined the parking lot in front of the building just off Government Way. Some stopped to watch and snap pictures, but most of the action was out of sight — on the roof or inside.

Firefighters wielded chain saws and axes while wearing their gear.

Littlefield said firefighters face even more danger on rooftops.

“That's where we're seeing line of duty deaths with firefighters is falling through the roof,” he said. “So their knowledge will keep them safe.”

Black Sheep Sporting Goods last year moved to the Silver Lake Mall and sold the building to Costco, which plans to demolish it and turn the space into a parking lot.

Firefighters have been training there since May 3.

Littlefield said it’s rare they get a chance to use a large structure for practice. Sunday’s training helped them determine which equipment and technique to use.

Craig Etherton, Coeur d’Alene fire inspector, said, "… it is very rare, virtually never, that we get an opportunity to train in commercial roofs with all their structure intact. This has been a tremendous opportunity for us.”

He said large building fires offer different challenges from the average house fire.

“Ceilings are higher and the heat and fire can be working well above firefighters’ heads, giving a false sense of security of how much damage is occurring above you,” he said.

Etherton said it's often harder to account for occupants in a structure with several levels.

“It is also very easy to get turned around, separated from your crew or lost in a large structure,” he said.

He said during routine training, roofs are usually plywood.

“But there are many layers to a commercial roof and cutting through those roofs offers unique challenges as compared to a regular house roof," he said.

Pat Riley, Northern Lakes Fire District chief, said the benefits of the training are many and include ladder truck operations, large area search and rescue and extended large area roof operations.

He noted there was a fire last week at a Spokane Home Depot.

“Fire in those types of occupancies pose a much higher threat to the public and responders," he said.

Riley said it’s good for different departments to train together.

"The overall impact it makes on us and the public is that we all are better trained, more prepared and ready to go into the firefight with a better understanding of that type of occupancy in that type of emergency,” he said.