Smoke was billowing out of the front door as the firefighters rushed in with hoses. The house had been empty for several years, and at least one neighbor arrived to see it burn, curious about what could have set it alight. It was a sad ending for the pretty Colonial. But something was wrong. There had been no screaming fire engines roaring down Abingdon Street. The smoke remained steady, wafting up around the slate roof with a slow simmer that never died down, but never exploded into flame like a real fire would. That’s because it wasn’t a real fire. It was a training fire, and the smoke was the theatrical smoke one sees in movies, produced by a machine. The young firefighters were the 19 members of Recruit Class 73, Arlington County Fire Department trainees.

One of the instructors for the class, Lieutenant Shawn Pendo, said the house had been offered to the ACFD for practice because it is about to be torn down by a developer. This way, the trainees can get real world experience before they have to fight a fire. This is one of their first practice fires: they have to get here, unload equipment, put up ladders, assess the situation, hone their skills. Later in the training runs, their performance will be timed.

To go through the process of offering a house to the ACFD for practice, call the Fire Prevention number for ACFD, 703-228-4644.