Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS

BEDFORD – Firefighters from Bedford, Goffstown, and New Boston participated in hands-on training at a house scheduled for demolition on New Boston Road. Sunday.

A developer who purchased the property has plans to redevelop the area of the house and gave Bedford Fire the opportunity to use it for training.

Crews were able to train for two weeks at the property, performing search and rescue, fire suppression, thermal imaging, and equipment.

Bedford Fire Captain Benjamin Selleck said that skills were practiced last week that were immediately used at a fire on Elizabeth Way on Thursday. Captain Selleck said he believes it made a significant difference in quickly knocking down that fire and keeping it to one room.

Firefighters were rotated Sunday on training evolutions that allowed firefighters to be exposed to rooms with zero visibility and in some cases intense heat. Although the firefighters have access to a training facility in Concord, training at structures allows better preparation for real-life scenarios.

The New Boston Road property included an old house with a lot of challenges, two different garages, and a dilapidated travel trailer.

Water supply was able to be brought under the roadway to prevent any traffic detours. Advisories to Bedford residents and signs on the road made people aware that the training was being done.

After training for several hours the structures were set up to burn and exposed firefighters to temperatures near 1,000 degrees. After the structures were burned, the excavator at the scene moved the debris to assure all fire was extinguished.

When owners of properties give access to fire departments weeks of planning and preparation go into the training. Abatement and removal of hazardous items are removed from the structure, and several safety measures are taken to protect firefighters and civilians.