Teardowns Provide Firefighter Training

In the black of night, firefighters from the truck company sliced holes into the roof of a two-story colonial in an attempt to mitigate the fire. Downstairs, Headquarters Engine Company 2 burst into the house. They later found themselves trying to escape to safety.

For all their efforts on Wednesday night, the home on 7 Salem Rd. could not be saved. It was scheduled for demolition the next day. The fire was not real. The danger was simulated. It was all a training exercise made possible through a one-time donation that made the most out of the soon-to-be-destroyed house.

"It's just a nice advantage of going into homes like that," said Chief Christopher Ackley. "It gives you that familiarity with the real structures."

Assuming the homes meet certain requirements, particularly with timing and location, they have afforded the fire department numerous opportunities over the years. Westport lacks a formal training facility for its firefighters, but it does offer a number of teardowns.

Teardowns in Westport have become so ubiquitous that they've spawned stories in the Wall Street Journal, an editorial in the New York Times and an ongoing feature on Westport Now.

In 2005, Westport issued 110 demolition permits. With the collapse of the economy, that number has fallen. In 2008, there were 66. In 2009, 55 permits were issued. As of Aug. 26, there have been 33 in 2010.

The number of teardowns have dwindled, but according to some, appear to be on the rise, indicating an improvement of the economy.

According to the Wall Street Journal: "Land prices have come down to where it is feasible to do this again," said Mark Victor, a developer who recently bought and tore down one Westport home and is scheduled to purchase and demolish another.

Those two Westport projects are his first since the 2008 market collapse, said the Wall Street Journal.

With the fire department lacking a training facility, they typically head to Fairfield or Stamford hone their skills by battling controlled blazes or extricated dummies from car crashes.

While the training facilities in other towns are helpful, they have their disadvantages.

First, Ackley said the logistics can be difficult. On-duty firefighters can't leave town for training, so training time has to be scheduled. Second, while a training facility helps teach a variety of skills, there's nothing like working on a real house in a real neighborhood.

"I can't take the on duty people and send them out of town," he said. "The houses that we get afford us the opportunity."

The soon-to-be-demolished homes offer a piece of the puzzle that go into a firefighter's training, and Ackley is appreciative of the homeowners and builders that let the department know when they can use a home.

"It's pretty nice of them to do that," he said. "They don't have to."