SIDNEY – The Sidney Fire Department, in partnership with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL FSRI), will conduct a series of experiments involving live-fire for approximately two weeks, beginning May 31.

According to a press release from the Sidney Department of Fire & Emergency Services, the experiments will be conducted in four local houses donated by the Land Bank of Shelby County that were slated for demolition. Members from the Sidney and surrounding fire departments will be participating in the experiments.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Sidney Fire, departments within the region and the citizens these departments serve,” Fire Chief Bradley Jones said in the release. “To be able to partner with UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute, whose mission is to improve firefighter safety through research, will help strengthen fire-ground safety and modern fire-ground tactics with similar sized departments across America. You don’t need to be a metro-sized department to successfully utilize modern fire-ground tactics.”

“Firefighter health and safety is primary to the work that we do. We feel that if firefighters are as smart as they can possibly be, they will be safe, they will be effective, there will be less line-of-duty-deaths, less injuries, and more lives saved around the world,” said Steve Kerber, director of UL FSRI, in the release.

Houses which will be used in the training include:

• 201/203 Water St. – Friday, June 1

• 230 N. Walnut Ave. – Monday, June 4 – Tuesday, June 5

• 732 Broadway Ave. – Thursday, June 7

• 2401 Wapakoneta Ave. – Monday, June 11 – Tuesday, June 12

Public safety information:

For the safety of local firefighters and the general public, members of the public are asked to keep their distance and stay clear of the work area.

For updated information on street/intersection closures follow the city of Sidney on Twitter @CityofSidneyOHor on Facebook.com/cityofsidneyoh, sidneyoh.com.

About Sidney Fire Department

The Department of Fire & Emergency Services is a full-service, full-time career department that delivers a wide range of professional fire protection services. The Department consists of three divisions:

Administration, operations, and prevention. The administration division is responsible for management of all fiscal, human, and physical resources as well as the overall operation of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week organization. The operations division is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of emergency services including fire suppression, emergency medical service calls, hazardous materials mitigation, technical including auto extrication, trench rescue, high angle rope rescue, confined space rescue, and swift water rescue. The operations division also maintains the department fleet and conducts pre-emergency planning inspections of target buildings throughout the community.

About UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Working in partnership with the fire service, research departments, and agencies, UL FSRI executes firefighter research and makes the results widely available to the global fire community. With a team of pioneering experts and access to UL’s leading infrastructure, equipment, and vast knowledge and insights, UL FSRI conducts and disseminates research and training programs focused on the changing dynamics of residential, commercial, and industrial fires and the impact they have on strategies and tactics throughout the fire service. The UL FSRI team’s office is in Columbia, Maryland.

Land Bank of Shelby County

The Land Bank of Shelby County is a non-profit organization established in 2016 with the goal of stabilizing property values by removing or rehabilitating one to four family blighted properties in Shelby County in an effort to prevent foreclosures for existing homeowners. The land bank acquires properties primarily through donations and tax foreclosures. Once a property is acquired it is inspected to evaluate whether it can makes economic sense to rehabilitate or demolish the property. Once a property is demolished, the lot is then greened and put back into productive use.

For more details on the experiments, visit the project page at: https://ulfirefightersafety.org/research-projects/coordinated-fire-attack-utilizing-acquired-structures.html.