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(KSL News) -- Firefighters and emergency personnel from around the state gathered in Orem today to sharpen their skills and learn new techniques.
This is the 40th year for the Summer Fire School at U-V-S-C. Some of the nation's top fire chiefs even came to share their expertise. The training takes place in an apartment complex donated especially for fire exercises.
Randy Willden, Utah Fire School: "Many of these firefighters come from rural communities they don't have a big training budget... They don't have a lot of firefighter to train this gives them an opportunity to work on a building that otherwise they wouldn't have the ability to train"
Jeremie Poppleton/Wellsville Fire Depart.: "Everything we learn here, we can take to our department, and help train those back home that weren't able to come with us. Any time you can come down, and better your training, you're better off."
Shawn Hirst, Orem Fire Dept..:"Any time we get to cut stuff, tear it up, or light it on fire, we like to use our skills we train so hard to get proficient on."
Much of the focus today was on how to prepare buildings for fire crews to safely enter; things like shutting off utilities and ventilation.
There were also classes on extricating people trapped in vehicles, arson investigation, wilderness medicine and dozens of other skills.
The fire school is held every August. This year it had more then 600 fire fighters sign-up -- a record number of attendees.
