Martinez firefighters plan training exercise

Panic naturally goes hand-in-hand with structure fires.

But there is no need to panic about a building in flames on Flowing Wells Road this week.

Martinez Fire Department firefighters are fighting a live fire as training on Wednesday at 487 Flowing Wells Road near the intersection with Wheeler Road.

"We are going to torch the building so it will probably be a lot of smoke and we will have a number of our fire engines there. We just did not want people to worry," said Honey Shore, a department public information officer.

The exercise will last from 9 a.m. to noon, but the road should be open for traffic with no danger to the public.

"The large amounts of smoke, of course, would really upset some people," Shore said. "If they are driving by, they will see a lot of emergency equipment and they might think something was really wrong. When, on the other hand, really everything is under control."

The department normally trains every Thursday evening at Engine Co. 2 on Gibbs Road because that is where the training facilities are located. The only time firefighters get to work a live-fire exercise is when a building is donated, like the one on Flowing Wells.

The exercise will include conducting flow tests on the department's newly acquired 5-inch diameter hose, which is huge, Shore said. The training gives firefighters a chance to practice using the hose to do different things and attaching the fixtures, metal connections to attach other hoses or attachments.

"It is just to give our guys training with the new hose and practice putting out the fire," Shore said. "(It is kind of fun) when we know there are no lives at stake. It is good practice."