Northwest Kansas firefighters were on the scene at Fort Hays State University Wiest Hall last Friday and Saturday.

No flames, just an opportunity to utilize the north wing for hands-on training.   The annex  is 51 years old and scheduled for demolition this week.

Also on site, a mobile training trailer from the Kansas Fire and Rescue Institute based at the University of Kansas.   

Director Glenn Pribbenow set up a  sprinkler station in the Wiest Hall parking lot designed to train firefighters how to stop the flow of water from ceiling sprinklers.   “After the fire is out, we want to stop the flow so it doesn’t flood the building.  So we’re teaching them how to improvise with wood chocks jammed up against the sprinkler heads to stop the water.”

Other training exercises included moving fire hose and ladders up stairwells, breaking window glass and doors for building entries, and search and rescue of victims in smoke-filled rooms.

Pribbenow says the training offered by the Kansas Fire and Rescue Institute is free to fire departments, and funded by tax dollars.

See the story tonight on Street Beat Eagle Community TV Channel 14.