Firefighters receive real-life training with Wyndcrest Drive home

April 28, 2019 | 3:35 am

Updated April 29, 2019 | 10:32 am

Daviess County Emergency Management partnered with Daviess County Fire Department and the Kentucky Fire Commission, allowing a home on Wyndcrest Drive to be used for firefighter training. | Photo by AP Imagery

Daviess County Fire Chief Dwane Smeathers said it was nice to see a little good come out of something so bad for the nine homeowners on Wyndcrest Drive that experienced repetitive flooding in western Daviess County.

The homes are part of a Fiscal Court buyout pursued by the County and funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acquisition grant.

Daviess County Emergency Management partnered with Daviess County Fire Department and the Kentucky Fire Commission, allowing the homes to be used for firefighter training.

Photo by AP Imagery

“It is rare to get a group of houses where you can do this type of training,” Smeathers said.

Specifically, Smeathers said DCFD along with firefighters from volunteer departments and Owensboro Fire Department learned from several burn scenarios Saturday.

“We build the fire and watch it progress,” Smeathers said. “We see how it builds up heat and smoke and watch for signs of flashover.”

While Smeathers said Saturday’s burn was more about observing fire behavior, he said they also practiced rescue scenarios.

“We have done this type of training several times, but it is getting harder to obtain homes to burn,” Smeathers said. “They have to be in living condition, nearly perfect, to be safe enough for firefighters to go in.”

That’s why the nine homes on Wyndcrest have been rare and appreciated by local firefighters. A home on Wyndcrest Drive was already used for ventilation training earlier in the month, where firefighters simulated being trapped in rooms. Future trainings are planned with the remaining homes.

According to DCEMA Director Andy Ball, the homes on Wyndcrest Drive experienced flooding at least once a year, but often two or three times annually. While water did enter the homes a few times during extreme flooding conditions, it consistently put the entire road underwater preventing residents from getting to their homes.

“It became a medical issue too because they couldn’t get out and responders couldn’t get in,” Ball said.
FEMA will provide 75 percent of the $1.3 million acquisition project, the county will provide 13 percent and the state 12 percent.

The homes will be taken down as Wyndcrest Drive residents close on their new homes. Ball said FEMA allows DCEMA 90 days to close on each home, demolish it and remove debris or they will lose the grant. The entire project will wrap up by May 2020.

April 28, 2019 | 3:35 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like