It is 10 a.m. when the call comes in.
A blaze has broken out in an apartment building and, when crews arrive, smoke is already billowing out of a patio window from a second-storey unit.
Two firefighters from Coquitlam Fire and Rescue's Engine #1 quickly begin to spray water at the apartment from the ground while the rest of the company circles around to enter at the side of the building.
Once inside, however, crews will not encounter heat and flames. And the haze that fills the hallways is generated by a smoke machine.
That's because the incident is a training exercise at a soon-to-be demolished four-storey apartment building on Westview Street in southwest Coquitlam, giving firefighters a rare opportunity to test their skills in a real-world structure.
"It is a great opportunity," said Assistant Chief John Macdonald. "The guys love this kind of training. Look at this area — there are a hundred buildings just like this around here."
Macdonald compares firefighting to football.
He said his crews have different plays depending on the incident and notes that walking through the various scenarios gives them an idea of what to expect when the smoke is real.
"When we roll up on a building like this, it is important having everyone on the same page as to how it is going to sequence," he said. "That doesn't mean that different things can't come into play but it gives us a starting point to work with."
Owen Robertson, the captain of Engine #1 and the incident commander for the scenario, said the training sessions give firefighters a good idea of what they will encounter in a real-life incident.
While there are no flames or heat, he said crews still have to be adaptable to the environment and make decisions on the best way to battle the blaze.
"You are tripping over trees in the front yard and dealing with a real building," he said. "It is never cookie-cutter perfect."
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