Chief Officers Hal Nolen, Curtis Jackson, and Jim Middleton invested over 100 hours in rehabilitating the structure to ensure it could be safely used for live fire instruction. The exercise began at 10:15 AM with a lesson in live fire behavior. Kings County Fire Chief and Master Instructor, Jim Kilner, assembled all trainees in the living room and demonstrated fire growth from incipient stage to flames rolling over everyone’s head.

As the morning progressed ten separate fires were lit inside the structure. Each were allowed to approach flashover stage and then suppressed by an attack crew carrying a 1 ½" fire hose. By the time each room had been burned twice the structure was becoming structurally unsound so safety officers made the decision to terminate training and allow the fire to consume the remaining walls and roof. By 3:00 PM the exercise was over and the property was returned to the owner. The lot will be cleared of burned debris and, out of the ash, a new home built to serve the needs of a new family.

Mariposa County Fire Department wishes to thank the Albright family for their generous donation as well as providing lunch for the trainees. Everyone who participated experienced more live fire situations in a few short hours than they normally see in an entire year. There is no substitute for "facing down the dragon" under real circumstances. All participants went home exhausted and uninjured with the knowledge and satisfaction they can defeat the enemy when called.