Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District trains at Inlet Square Mall before demolition

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WBTW) — Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire is training at the Inlet Square Mall all week before it gets torn down.

An official with the fire district says there’s currently 14 firefighters on each shift. All three shifts will be given an opportunity to practice different scenarios.

MIGC Battalion Chief James Edbrooke said because the Inlet Square Mall is slated for destruction, crews are able to practice skills they can’t usually practice without paying for repairs.

Edbrooke said the crews are practicing breaching walls, forcing doors open and running search evolutions. He said the space is helpful for training purposes, because usually in a commercial structure fire, their access is limited or they’re trapped.

“It comes down to muscle memory,” he said. “We have props at our stations, but nothing can beat actually coming into a real building and being able to put your skills to use.”

Edbrooke said the main tools firefighters use are Halligan bars or axes. He said it’s important they know how to use them so they can break through the outer layer of a wall.

Edbrooke said thanks to the training chief and fire marshalls, this isn’t the first acquired structure they’ve received for training. However, the Inlet Square Mall has brought some extra challenges, along with additional training from the metal walls and gates over the stores.

“We do have some newer members of the department, and for a lot of them, they haven’t gotten this hands-on experience on emergency calls,” Edbrooke said. “So, a situation like this really awards them the opportunity to kind of be tested with the ability to, well for us as the senior members, to guide them through.”

Edbrooke said crews will be on site each morning for multiple hours for the rest of the week.

* * *

Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook , or Instagram , and read more of her work he r e .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.