The weather was near perfect as Skagit County Fire District 13 hosted more than 70 firefighters who gathered on East March Point Road Saturday for an all-day “live burn” exercise. 

The firefighters came from Anacortes, Bayview, Guemes Island, Hope Island, La Conner, McLean Road, Mount Erie, Summit Park and Tesoro fire departments. The firefighters had the opportunity to practice their firefighting skills as they burned a three-bedroom home and two outbuildings that were going to be demolished.

Fire District 13 Chief Roy Horn said although many of the firefighters had never trained together before, they developed an instant camaraderie and fought the fire shoulder-to-shoulder as a cohesive team.

Anacortes’ District Chief John Bird, Mount Erie Chief Mike Noyes, District 13 Training Officer Adam Avery and Horn worked for several months planning and getting the necessary permits.

The firefighters got the opportunity to hone their interior attack, defensive attack, exposure protection, command, water shuttle, rehab, rapid intervention and communication skills throughout the day.

Brian Geer, executive director of the Anacortes/San Juan Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross, and his staff provided food and refreshment for the firefighters.

Horn said the gathering of career, volunteer and industrial firefighters from nine different firehouses doesn’t occur often enough.

“Training burns such as these are critical for firefighters,” he said. “One of the best learning environments is actual hands-on experience dealing with live fire. Structural burn drills allow your firefighters to learn the limits of their equipment and tactics in an educational, non-emergency environment. This type of training is what allows firefighters to keep their skills and teamwork sharp for real emergencies where seconds count and there is little room for error.”