Live fire training is crucial for firefighters to experience realistic, high-stress conditions, building confidence and competence before facing real emergencies. It helps personnel understand fire behavior, practice tactics in controlled environments, and manage disorientation from smoke and heat, which is vital for safety #IAFF2933 #CCFD3 #SequimWA #livefire #liveburn
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Sequim, WA 3/18/26 - B Shift has experienced 2 General Alarms so far today.
This is one of our most stressful and intense moments because it means we may not be able to quickly and effectively respond to an emergency. We typically only have 4 staffed response units. When 4 calls come in around the same time, everyone is booked, and that has happened twice already today.
Running out of units triggers a “General Alarm.” A notice goes out to all responders in the district to, for lack of better words, man your battle stations. Volunteers drop what they are doing and head to the nearest fire station to staff a reserve ambulance or fire engine. Off duty staff are able to come in off shift and receive overtime pay to fill in the gaps. But that’s only if people are available and have the energy for it. Many factors come into play, there may or may not be extra personnel available.
Stay safe out there, and support your local FD by learning how the Department operates and the current limitations of service.
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Happy to have our new recruits! They are joining an incredible and hardworking team at FD3. This is a great step towards growing the department and fulfilling the community's expectations of us. We want to be there when you need us the most!
Firefighters join FD3 crew - Sequim Gazette
www.sequimgazette.com
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SEQUIM, WA — Musings from a Sequim resident and Washington State firefighter.
I joined the fire service in 2017 and have been chasing the answer to this question ever since:
How do new firefighters prepare for real fires?
Standard training rarely involves the realistic heat, fire, or low-visibility conditions firefighters encounter on the streets.
Well my friends, Fire District 3 is answering that question with a live-fire acquired structure burn coming soon.
Every now and then, several things align that allow firefighters to receive high-quality training in one of the most realistic environments the fire service can provide.
Someone decides they need to tear down an old home or building. The fire district requests to use it for training before demolition. The owner says yes. The department puts in work to make sure everything is by the book.
And then a magical thing happens: firefighters light their own fires to put out.
Students are able to see, feel, and experience fire and smoke behavior that simply can’t be replicated anywhere else.
This is a huge win for the community. Everyone expects their local firefighters to be able to put out fires, operate smoothly inside burning buildings, and make rescues when it matters most.
Live fire training is one of the best ways to prepare firefighters to perform the way the public expects us to perform.
To quote a colleague of mine, Ian Bennet of West Coast Fire Training:
“The first purpose of live fire training is to normalize the live fire environment. As a new or inexperienced firefighter, the inside of a burning building is like nothing else in the human experience. There’s nothing that can get you ready for it except either real fires or realistic fire training.”
At a time when actual fire calls have decreased over the decades due to successful prevention campaigns—but civilian fire deaths are rising—it’s more important than ever to prepare for the rare but critical life-and-death calls.
I’m grateful that the firefighters tasked with protecting the lives and property of myself, my neighbors, and my family are getting this valuable opportunity.
Stay tuned and follow this page for more updates on the upcoming burn in Sequim.
— "PIO" Beau
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From Diamond Point to Blue Mountain, your Sequim Firefighters/EMTs/Paramedics are working hard and always pushing for improvements to better serve the greater community of Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. Fire District 3 runs approx. 10,000 calls/year and rising.
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