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Another I-35 Expansion Benefit: Firefighter Training

Back to Volume 8, Number 1


I-35's expansion through Waco has presented a rare opportunity for members of the Waco Fire Department (WFD): the chance to use a commercial building to hone life- and property-saving firefighting skills.

The El Chico Mexican Restaurant building at Valley Mills and I-35 will be demolished soon so that a continuous frontage road can be constructed on a portion of the property. With that in mind, TxDOT reached out to Waco firefighters to offer the vacant building for training.

"This is a huge advantage for us, and we are very grateful for this opportunity," says Deputy Chief Robby Bergerson, who is in charge of firefighter training for WFD. "Just like sports teams, we need training in a real-world environment. This commercial building allows us to do that, without worrying about destroying it in the process."

firefighters training

Firefighters demonstrate a ventilation process for pulling smoke out of a building during a fire. One firefighter uses a chainsaw to open the roof, while the other pulls the insulation out of the way to allow venting.


About 30 members of WFD ladder truck crews took part in the training activities, which involved the proper ventilation techniques for commercial buildings.

"After getting water on a fire, the second most important part of firefighting is proper ventilation," Bergerson explains. "Getting smoke out of a building so you can see inside, without helping the fire spread, is vital. We're teaching the firefighters where ventilation holes need to be made, and how to make them. Like I said, we don't get the opportunity to teach this for a commercial building very often."

Using vacant buildings for fire training has happened before along I-35.

"Anytime we have buildings that are vacant before construction begins, we think of that community's firefighters," says TxDOT's Jodi Wheatley, I-35 information officer. "We realize that fire training is very important for all of us, so we are glad they can use these buildings."

Back to Volume 8, Number 1

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Jake Smith
I-35 Public Information Officer
254-867-2705
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TxDOT Waco District
100 S. Loop Drive
Waco, TX 76704

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