On Sunday July 1st, the Canton Fire Department hosted a large burn drill at the corner of the Sykes and Stiles Road in the Town of Canton. The structure, a large horse barn known locally as the Garnsey Barn, had fallen into disrepair and its current owner, Corey Palmra, approached the fire department about burning it down. 2nd Assistant Chief Erik Johnson took on the task of setting up the drill. Due to the barns proximity to the residence, large amounts of water would be needed to protect the exposures and deal with any situations that could arise during the burn. Chief Johnson set the drill up using 2 dump sites with LDH relays to the fire scene, 2 fill sites that also utilized LDH to fill the tankers in the shuttle, and 2 reserve fill sites that would utilize hydrants several miles away in the Village of Canton. Chief Johnson utilized 11 regular tankers ranging in size from 1500 -3200 gallons as well as 2 tractor trailer tankers at 4000 gallons a piece that were staged at the fill sites to act as a buffer during slowdowns in the tanker shuttle. Additionally 10 engines were utilized in draft, relay, and operations positions. Canton Truck 1 was set up to provide added protection to the residence.
On the morning of the burn, Russell Fire Department Chief Harvey Thomas, a licensed explosive technician, set incendiary devices in key locations in the barn. These devices ensured that the barn would burn quickly and fall into a pile where it stood. By 8 am, all 8 porta tanks were filled and tankers had been refilled and were standing by at the scene. The 4 water curtains, 3 ground monitors, the aerial deluge, and several handlines were placed in operation and the charges detonated by Chief Thomas. The barn burned furiously for a short period of time with the roof collapsing into the hay mow in 7 minutes and then the complete collapse to the ground in 22 minutes from ignition.
Chief Johnson would like to thank all agencies that participated to make this burn successful. Thanks also go to Chief Thomas and his wife for arriving early at 5:30 am to set the incendiary devices and to Canton FF Tim Gavin, FF Shawn McGregor, and FF Adam Leggett for assisting them in the preparations. Local farmer Jim Smith and family provided access to the river for fire apparatus at their property on the County Home Road to establish one of the draft sites and many thanks go to them.
Overall this drill was a great success, bringing together numerous departments, many of whom wouldn't normally work with each other. Participating agencies were able to gain experience with rural LDH operations that is not easily obtained. There were many lessons learned, and even more importantly, shared among the participants in the drill.
