ORANGE, MASS. — May 3rd — Firefighters from various local departments came together for a two-day live fire training session organized by Orange Fire Rescue EMS to gain practical experience in realistic fireground situations. At the Gardner Fire Department training site, Orange firefighters were joined by crews from the Warwick, New Salem, and Erving fire departments. Participants finished 21 actual fire evolutions over the course of the weekend, with a focus on ventilation, pumping operations, fire suppression, search and rescue, and line advancement.

Captain Hopkins and Firefighter Hendrickson led the training, which was organized by Capt. Tim Matthews. The firefighters who sacrificed their vacation time to come were also acknowledged by officials. Skills, collaboration, and coordination of mutual aid among adjacent departments were all strengthened by the event.