MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) — The Moultrie Fire Department is using a new burn building to help firefighters train with simulated real-life fires and improve their emergency response skills. The fire department held a live burn at the new building on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Chief Chad Kilgore said the building helps better prepare new firefighters for actual fire scenes.

“It’s where they can hone in their skills so that when they go to a real fire, they can rely back on their training and what they’ve done in burn building. And once they get all their skills nailed down in the burn building, when they go to a real scene, it’s— Their training comes back to them, and they don’t they don’t panic as much,” Kilgore said.

Inside the burn building, firefighters train for high heat, low visibility, fast decision-making and working as a team when conditions are at their worst.

“Oh, it’s extremely helpful. Our guys, they they love it. I mean, they want— They want training in it all the time. I mean, it has helped them tremendously on working on their skills where they can actually have actual live fire, and they don’t have to do simulated stuff or they can actually smoke the building up... It gives them kind of a controlled, real world experience,” Kilgore said.

The burn building features a changeable interior layout, allowing crews to simulate many kinds of buildings during training exercises.

Lead trainer Nate Whitlatch said the facility has improved the department’s training capabilities.

“I mean, it’s been a blessing to us. Before, we always had to send people to other agencies or to do any kind of live fire training, and to have this facility here has really stepped up our game here. We pride ourselves on aggressive training. It’s what the citizens of Moultrie deserve,” Whitlatch said.

Kilgore said the department plans to expand the burn building so they can host other agencies and help improve training for firefighter departments around the area.

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