Last night, the Putnam Valley Fire Department Firefighter Assist and Search Team (FAST) performed a drill in responding to basement fires.

“From a firefighting standpoint, basement/cellar fires are one of the most dangerous and challenging fires encountered inside a building.

They have limited ingress/egress, limited ventilation, and drainage problems with attack water. Fire in basements causes rapid increases in heat buildup, making these types of fires particularly demanding. “

(Source: FireRescue1)

This creates significant risks to responding firefighters.

The primary purpose of the FAST Team is to identify potential hazards on any fire scene and to provide immediate assistance to any firefighter in imminent danger as well as rescue a missing, trapped or injured firefighters.