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Smoke filled the air on Tuesday afternoon, as several fire crews from the region gathered at the Bainbridge Public Safety fire training facility. Crews from Donalsonville and Thomasville, in addition to crews from BPS and Decatur County Fire and Rescue, met in the morning for regular classes, before moving out to the training facility. Their training will continue into Wednesday, with Tuesday’s training consisting of flashover training.

Instructor Jim Hester with 1st Due Fire Training explained flashover training, saying, “It’s teaching firefighters the precursor to the room erupting into fire… they sit down there, and we create a controlled fire condition that rolls over their heads.” This training is done in a separate trailer specifically built for it. The crews will move to the main training facility on Wednesday for an array of training exercises.

“We personally hear, our company, are glad that we were invited by the chief here, and we appreciate him having us out here,” Hester said. “He’s got a great facility, and what he’s done for his community is just the best thing ever.”

BPS fire chief Doyle Welch previously told the Post-Searchlight, “This is a great asset to the city of Bainbridge, and the Bainbridge Public Safety Department is grateful for everything the city has done to provide this building.”