Firefighters are training at a vacant building in Great Falls

If you see firefighters at the 2400 block of 10th Avenue South in Great Falls - don't panic - they are conducting training.

“Today we are doing our commercial fire drill,” said Alexander Richard with Great Falls Fire Rescue. “We are basically focusing on commercial size structures.”

Every year, Great Falls Fire Rescue get reps in making sure they know how to handle themselves in mayday scenarios.

Through June 20, they will be practicing at the building that was donated to them - it formerly was the home of the Buffalo Saloon.

“We sort of make our scenarios realistic for sure, but we try to make it a little bit more exaggerated than the real thing,” Richard said. “Just so we can kind of have that rush that we normally feel in a structure fire, but just a little bit more difference scenarios that are rare but we need to be ready for.”

Crews will be working on commercial occupancy firefighting tactics and other emergency response efforts, including forcible entry and roof ventilation techniques.

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Whether a new hire or a veteran firefighter, everyone at Great Falls Fire Rescue benefits from the various exercises, from breaching doors to cutting open the roof.

“It’s a mix of everyone,” Richard said. “Everyone has their certain skills that they need to perform and certain objectives that they need to achieve.”

Firefighters have one simple request of people passing through the area: “If you come by, drive real slow, and just be aware of us operating out here,” Richard said.

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