NANTICOKE -- In August 2015, fire and smoke could be seen for miles. The Sandone Tire Warehouse in Scranton went up in flames and burned for days.
It also almost turned into a tragedy. Four firefighters inside the building became lost or disoriented. When that happened, a frantic mayday call went out. Luckily, all firefighters made it out safely, but what happened there served as a wakeup call to the fire department.
Now, they're getting the training they need in case another failure happens. They’re among several other fire departments participating in a week-long training program on how to survive.
“Some of the stuff here is eye-opening, humbling, and very, very challenging!” said one firefighter.
The training at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke was put together by the international association of firefighters paid for with just over $100,000 in federal tax dollars.
“We have to kind of change their mindset to learn what to do in the event they get into trouble, so they can save their lives and the lives of other firefighters on scene,” said one of the trainers.
Besides the training, each department also gets to take home the equipment they used, so they can keep up on their training at their own departments.