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New documentary highlights firefighter training program

“The Fire Asylum” follows six firefighters who spent 26 hours inside an old penitentiary as part of an intense training program

By FireRescue1 Staff

MOUNDSVILLE, W. Va. — A new documentary follows a group of firefighters as they undergo an intense training program.

The Fire Asylum,” which is set to be released this week, features six firefighters from around the U.S. who spent 26 hours straight inside the abandoned West Virginia Penitentiary.

“The ‘Fire Asylum’ documentary is a story about six firefighters going through this training program, trying to learn more about themselves and learn more about who they are as people, so that they can perform their own jobs more proficiently,” film editor Ryan Zacherl told WTOV9.

Zacherl said the training was designed to be a grueling regimen that tested the firefighters both mentally and physically.

“They learn how to put on their equipment at a faster pace. They learn how to deal with their limbs, their equipment, and go through small spaces. They deal with confined areas and do it over and over and over again for 26 hours straight,” he said.

Zacherl added that the training was meant to help the firefighters “save themselves.”

“They put their lives on the line every single day to try and save all of us. ‘The Fire Asylum’ is basically about helping them save themselves, so they can serve their communities better,” he said.

The film premieres on Amazon Jan. 18 and on iTunes Feb. 20.

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