Daveen Rae Kurutz
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — In the dark, smoky building, Caleb Duda couldn't see. His 100-pound uniform and the 75 pounds of equipment he was lugging slowed his way through the burning three-story structure.

But it was nothing new for Duda, a firefighter with Lawrence County's Neshannock Volunteer Fire Department. He and four crewmates rushed into a "burn house" at Butler County Community College, hoping the training they received on their day off would help them on the job later.

"You train, train, train — because you never know what skills you're going to need," said Duda, 26, of New Castle. "It's hard and physically demanding, especially in humid weather when you're wearing long sleeves and 100 pounds of gear. But it's worth it if it might help us save a few lives."

Duda and his fellow "Neshanny" crewmen were among almost 600 firefighters participating Saturday and Sunday in the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association's 56th annual fire training weekend. Firefighters could choose from among 24 training classes, ranging from hands-on experience in burn classes and vehicle rescue to classroom lectures.

"This is a very dangerous job we ask these guys to do," said association President Andy Huerbin. "We have to stay ahead of the game."

That's what brought Mark Vanderfeyst 350 miles across an international border for the weekend. Vanderfeyst, 33, of Woodstock, Ontario, first attended the program in the late 1990s when he and his wife lived in Cranberry. This year, he returned, hoping to learn new techniques.

"We all come from different walks of life, with different perspectives on the same tasks," said Vanderfeyst, a captain with Woodstock Fire Department. "You never know what trick I could learn that might be valuable to us."

Like Duda and his crewmates, Vanderfeyst signed up for the multistructure burn class, taught by Noel "Mac" McMullen, district fire chief for Peters. McMullen designed the two-day crash course in fighting fires in apartment complexes and town houses.

"Whether you've been here one year or 10 years, it's a good learning experience," said Bryan Sullivan, 20, of Neshannock.

The class broke into teams, rotating through search and rescue and various hose techniques. Vanderfeyst's group began Saturday by searching for a "victim" in order to pull him to safety.

"It's going well," Vanderfeyst said, while watching another group charge up a ladder and climb into a second-floor window. "I'm just hot and sweaty."

Sunday came early. The burn building was lit by 9 a.m., and crews ran in and out all day. With fires set on the first and second floors, temperatures inside hit 1,000 degrees.

"If you took your oven at home, turned it on broil and let it sit for 10 minutes, that heat you feel as soon as you open the door? That's what it's like in there," Vanderfeyst said.

Day two had a rocky start. After an unsatisfactory round where one student entered the burning building minus a piece of safety equipment, McMullen let loose on the group.

"If we can't do this right, we aren't doing it," he said. "You're killing too many people in training. Work it out here and not in three weeks, when there's three kids trapped on that third floor."

After the "pep" talk, instinct took over for the firefighters. The next run-through went smoother.

In addition to learning firefighting techniques, the trainees got a crash course in working together.

"It's mind over matter in there," Duda said. "If there's no commitment and teamwork, you're fighting yourself instead of the fire. And one day, that'll cost someone their life."