High Tech Fire Extinguisher Training

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 West Fargo firefighters are using new technologies as part of their workforce fire prevention training.
 
They made a stop at the Caterpillar manufacturing facility to help train over 200 employees.
 
Fire extinguisher training is getting a little;
 
“Safer, quicker, less costly than actually going out into a parking lot and lighting a fire and using real extinguishers,” said West Fargo Fire Chief Dan Fuller.
 
Caterpillar employees like Vicki Ernst in West Fargo are getting hands on training, without an actual fire.

The West Fargo Fire Department is using a simulated electronic fire with a laser extinguisher.

The Bullex Systems technology is typically used out west, but it is shared across the state with several fire departments.
 
“We don’t have to be outside extinguishing an actual fire per se, so then the cleanup is easier and it’s a little bit more user friendly I’d say,” said Ernst.
 
Over 200 employees are being trained with the technology.
And even with a low battery the cyber fire keeps raging on.
 
“The West Fargo Fire Department wants to remind people when fighting fires to pull, aim, squeeze and sweep.”
 
“If they can stop the fire when it’s still in its incipient stage, before it actually takes off, we’re a lot better off,” said Chief Fuller.
 
It’s a skill employees like Vicki Ernst need to know.
 
“We’ve got lots of chemicals here; we’ve got lots of paper, cardboard and wood,” said Ernst.
 
The West Fargo Fire Department holds seminars a few times a year and this is one of the first times they’ve used this technology.