All four Tamaqua fire companies took part in a "Rapid Intervention Team" (RIT), training exercise at a condemned home at 23 Market St., Monday evening.

The fire department held the RIT exercises in classrooms and during practical hands-on training in the field.One of the training exercises taught by fire company instructors at the condemned home was the "Denver Drill."The Denver Drill is based on the 1992 death of engineer Mark Langvardt of the Denver Fire Department. While working a commercial structure fire, Langvardt reportedly became separated from his crew when a floor collapsed, trapping him in a small storage room on the second floor. The room measured approximately 6 foot by 11 foot, but cabinets and equipment along the walls reduced the room to an aisle only 28 inches wide. At the end of the aisle was an exterior window with a drop of 42 inches from sill to floor.Firefighters entering through the window had to crawl over Langvardt, who lay face down with his head against the wall below the window. There was only room for one rescuer to attempt lifting the victim to the windowsill and this, after multiple efforts, proved impossible.Firefighters recovered Langvardt nearly an hour later after breaching a wall to remove him, but the rescue came too late to save his life.The Denver Drill was designed in response to this tragedy and is taught in fire schools throughout the United States.The Denver Drill is performed when one rescuer positions himself behind the downed firefighter and acts as a ramp in order to ease the removal of the injured firefighter from the window. A second rescuer enters the room in the same manner as the first (head first through the window and over the injured firefighter) to assist with the removal of the injured firefighter through the window. This is a joint effort between the two rescuers and requires much coordination and training to effectively perform this live-saving technique.Once the coordinated effort on the interior of the structure is complete, additional rescuers are positioned outside the window to assist in the complete removal of the injured firefighter. This scenario alone proves how vital the proper number of personnel are at an emergency operation.Another training exercise carried out by Tamaqua firefighters was the "Columbus Drill," based on the death of John Nance of the Columbus Fire Department in Ohio in 1987.Nance was trapped in the basement of a commercial occupancy following a floor collapse. Despite the exhausting efforts of multiple crews, Nance was unable to be removed from the occupancy prior to succumbing to the elements.The Nance or Columbus Drill is used for a firefighter that falls through a floor or roof top. A charged hose line or rope is pressed down through the hole. The hose or rope is looped or bent in the middle as it goes down. The downed firefighter grabs on and sits on it like a swing and the hose is then pulled out from both ends and the firefighter comes up.If the firefighter is unconscious or unable to sit on it, then it is securely looped around him or his arms by another firefighter and hoisted up through a natural or intentionally made hole in the floor.Over 90 volunteer firefighters participated in the RIT training. The borough worked with the fire department to get this location for the exercise.The Tamaqua Fire Police blocked off traffic to Market Street and surrounding areas for a couple of hours during the entire exercise.