Lance Martin, Herald Senior Staff Writer

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD Members of the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department practice a rescue drill during rapid intervention training at Interstate Storage and Distribution. Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - It is one of a firefighter's worst nightmares - losing a comrade amid the smoke and flames of a burning building.

That's why the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department and the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad joined forces recently to practice rapid intervention techniques.

Eventually their efforts will lead to the formation of a rapid intervention team with the sole responsibility of rescuing lost and disoriented firefighters during structure fires.

The training ground was Interstate Storage and Distribution, the former Roanoke No. 2 mill.

The vast warehouse made the perfect training compound, complete with stairs and nooks and crannies where firefighters and rescue squad members could hone their skills and learn the latest techniques.

The training is important whether the fire is in a big building like the warehouse or in a smaller space, said Roanoke Rapids Fire Chief Gary Corbet.

Statistics show more firefighters are killed in single-family residences than in warehouses and stores, the fire chief explained.

The inside of a house takes on a different look during a fire, burning sofas turning into a web of coils and springs waiting to entangle a firefighter and burning ceiling structures waiting to collapse. “A building on fire is a building under demolition,” Corbet said.

Greg Wild, of the Tennessee-based 1 Source Consultants, and his instructors conducted the 14-hour training. “These are just the building blocks for the future,” he said, explaining there will be more training for the firefighters and rescue squad members.

Corbet said he won't be hasty in implementing the RIT team, although the team could be at fire scenes in a few months. “It's hard to put a finite number on the hours. We will have more classes until the officers are comfortable. It will be a little while before this comes to fruition.”

Rescue Squad member Brian Hux said his colleagues already come to fire scenes so it makes sense that they be designated and trained to serve as the team members.

Hux is glad to see a spirit of cooperation between the two agencies.

Throughout the building there were different scenarios being taught. One drill helped the students find and untangle a trapped firefighter while another simulated taking an injured firefighter the down stairs.

The rescue squad members working to rescue entangled firefighters were blindfolded to experience the sensation of being in a dark, burning building. “We're trying to get them used to using their sense of feel and touch,” Corbet said.

Roanoke Rapids firefighter Kenneth Hollowell said he appreciated the training. “It's very good training,” he said.

“It's something to save my life or my brother's life.”