LAKE HARMONY -- Firefighters across the state prepare for real emergencies. The training is part of the 2015 Pennsylvania Firefighters Convention in Carbon County.
"They not only have to chase fires, but they have to respond and go through all the training," said Lake Harmony Fire Chief Ralph Lennon.
Lake Harmony Fire Company is hosting the convention this year and decided to focus the training on vehicle rescues and crashes. ESI Equipment out of Montgomery county is in charge of that.
"Because of the car construction, it actually keeps people safe in their cars, but once you get over a certain speed all bets are off. Let's put it that way," said John Evans of ESI Equipment.
While some of these firefighters are doing training, others got the call Friday morning for a real life emergency.
Lake Harmony firefighters were on their way to training when they heard the tones. The firefighters ended up at a deadly crash on Interstate 80 Westbound in Kidder Township. They say the car was wrapped around a tree when they got there.
"We had a fatal crash out there. Some of the techniques we needed to use certainly could have been applied here to the class itself," said Lennon.
The chief says that crash is why the training is so important and also why it's vital to bring in new volunteers to help out.
However, the attendance at the convention this year is down mostly because firefighters are busy elsewhere in the state.
"Many people were deployed down to cover the pope's visit in Philadelphia, so we were expecting a much larger crowd," said Evans.
Even so, the training continued.
The convention ends Saturday with a parade starting at the Lake Harmony Fire Company.