ATHENS, NY — February 17th — A practical training session on firefighter survival tactics was led by firefighters from the Athens Volunteer Fire Department. Members practiced wall breaching, Mayday protocols, and using a charged handline to leave a building. During the exercise, crews trained with their mutual-aid counterparts from the West Athens–Lime Street Fire Company.

Captain Don Winegard oversaw the training, which featured a number of inside scenarios intended to strengthen fireground mobility and communication in low-visibility situations. Firefighters trained using hose lines as a guide to safely escape a building, locating and breaching inner walls, and sending Mayday messages. To improve firefighter safety and preparedness, New York fire agencies routinely do this kind of training.