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NEWPORT– There will be a controlled burn live fire training exercise Saturday morning, June 15, in Newport, as South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue and other firefighters burn down a house.
About 10 a.m., maybe a little earlier, SPOFR will conduct the controlled live fire burn training exercise at 200 N. Scott Ave., in cooperation with Newport Hospital and Health Services (NHHS).
Scott Avenue between Spruce Street and First Street will be closed to through traffic. Additionally, Pine Street will be closed between North Scott Avenue and North Warren Avenue. The public is asked to avoid the area unless they are seeking medical services at the hospital. Patients accessing the emergency room or hospital services should enter along North Cass Avenue through the upper parking lot. Newport Health Center will be open for regular Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Residents in the area can expect potential heavy smoke from the burn. The Ponderosa Room inside NHHS’s Annex Building (entrance located on the corner of Spruce and Scott) will be open for anyone who would like to avoid the smoke.
Since plans included tearing down the house for additional parking, hospital administration decided that donating the live fire opportunity would provide invaluable training for local firefighters. SPOFR Chief Dan Williams said, “we appreciate NHHS making this building available for us to provide invaluable controlled live fire burn training for Pend Oreille and neighboring Fire Districts.”
Williams and a representative from Spokane Fire District 4 inspected the house for possible hazards last Wednesday, June 5. June 6, SPOFR Lieutenant Corey Toombs conducted Search and Rescue Rapid Intervention training (RIT) at the site.
Pre-work for the controlled live fire burn included removing working appliances and carpet, asbestos abatement, and acquisition of a burn permit from the Washington State Department of Ecology. In addition, Life Flight has been notified of an alternate landing zone option to avoid complications with patient transport from the Newport Community Hospital helipad.
For updated information, please visit https://newporthospitalandhealth.org/ event/controlled-live-fire-training/ or https://www.spofr.org/. SPOFR can be reached at the Diamond Lake Fire Station at (509) 447-5303.
