Dracut Firefighter Brian Lanteigne gets water on an artificial fire as he is backed up on a hose line by Firefighter Dylan McCarthy inside a home that is slated for demolition on Arlington Street in Dracut. At right, serving as a search and rescue team, are Firefighters Bernie Resto-Salgado and Mike Silva. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) Dracut Firefighters stay close to the ground to avoid smoke during training inside a home on Arlington Street. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) The home at 45 Arlington St., in Dracut, where firefighters will be training over the course of the next two weeks. The home is slated for demolition and its owner is allowing the department to use it for training. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) Smoke churns just through a doorway inside the home where firefighters are training. The training involved smoke from a smoke machine and a device that simulates the light and sounds of fire. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) Dracut firefighters train to evacuate a patient during training on Arlington Street. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) 
Dracut firefighters are expected to be training at 45 Arlington St., across from the Dracut Town Library, for the next two weeks. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department) Dracut Firefighter Brian Lanteigne gets water on an artificial fire as he is backed up on a hose line by Firefighter Dylan McCarthy inside a home that is slated for demolition on Arlington Street in Dracut last week. At right, serving as a search and rescue team, are Firefighters Bernie Resto-Salgado and Mike Silva. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)
DRACUT — Chief Richard Patterson reports that, thanks to the generosity of a Dracut business, the Dracut Fire Department is training and honing skills in a home on Arlington Street that is slated for demolition.
The home at 45 Arlington St. is owned by J&J Heating and Air Conditioning, which plans to demolish the home as well as two others nearby as part of a future development. The company’s owner, Eddie Ayotte, is allowing Dracut firefighters to use the home for training during the next two weeks before demolition is completed.
Last week all Dracut firefighters participated in drills. Crews practiced operating in heavy smoke and low visibility while searching for patients and fire, and responding to various scenarios designed by commanders. A smoke machine and another device simulated the smoke, sound, and color of fire.
In some scenarios firefighters had to immediately stretch hose lines into the building to attack fire, while in others, trapped victims inside required immediate rescue over ladders.
The circumstances firefighters find upon arrival at a fire dictate their first courses of action. Scenarios designed by Deputy Chief Alex Voulgaris and Deputy Chief Thomas Mackey also tested the ability of firefighters and company commanders to make the correct choices.
This week and next week, firefighters will begin to practice other skills in the home, such as forcing doors and opening walls to reach an interior fire. The more destructive training is being saved for last to maintain the condition of the home as the training is ongoing.
“Firefighting consists of special skill sets that must be kept sharp at all times,” said Chief Patterson. “We strive to train everyday, but there is no substitute for having the ability to use real buildings to strengthen our search, hose handling, ladder and ventilation skills. We take full advantage of these opportunities when they present themselves, and we are grateful to J&J Heating and Air Conditioning for giving us this opportunity.”