UP IN SMOKE

MANATEE COUNTY — East County resident Marion Pandiscio watched in amazement as her house off Upper Manatee River Road burned to the ground.

“It’s exhilarating,” she said as she snapped a few pictures. “I hated this house. The first time I came to look at it, my real estate agent wouldn’t go in (because it was in such bad condition). I’m happy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Although Pandiscio was eager to rid the five-acre property she purchased in October of its dilapidated home, she was more excited that the structure’s demise could be for the public good.

Over the last month, firefighters with East Manatee Fire Rescue have been using the house for training exercises. After completing several more training scenarios Dec. 11, firefighters lit the house on fire and watched it burn, using hoses and water only to keep the flames from spreading to trees and adjacent properties.

“It’s a good feeling,” Pandiscio said of having the fire department use the site. “I really think anytime you can help train people (in public services, it’s great). You don’t become proficient without training and this was a perfect opportunity for them.”

Even students at Manatee Technical Institute enjoyed a piece of the action, burning the house’s detached garage earlier this month, Pandiscio said.

Tim Hyden, training officer for East Manatee, said all of the department’s 63 linemen were able to participate in some sort of training at the facility, but East Manatee focused much of its training efforts on its 13 newest firefighters, who were hired in August.

“It’s been cool,” new hire Derek Laplante said. “This is the first time any of us have been able to experience something like this. It brought a lot of (issues) to our attention.”

Firefighter Mike Johnson agreed.

“Watching the thermal layering has been the most interesting to me,” he said. “You can actually see the fire crawl across the ceiling. It’s a lot more realistic and a lot more hands-on (than in fire school).”

Training opportunities such as those offered by Pandiscio are valuable because they allow firefighters to practice putting out flames, rescuing victims and finding their way out of darkened rooms all within a controlled scenario, Hyden said.

“From a training perspective, I’m always thinking, ‘What if?’” Hyden said. “How do you prepare somebody for anything that might happen?

“No. 1 is safety of personnel and that is getting (them out sometimes),” he said. “We don’t want them to become a victim.”

The opportunity also builds firefighters’ confidence in how to respond in various situations, giving them a sense of how being in a fire feels, while also allowing them to closely watch fire behavior — information that can prove critical in life-or-death scenarios.

“It’s very educational for them,” Hyden said. “Normally, you come in, find a fire, and put it out. We have to be able to provide the training for these guys to have them ready to face these (challenges).”

Pandiscio said she still must get debris from the property removed and plans to have the parcel assessed without a home on it. She has not yet decided what to do with the property, she said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].