Firefighters practice techniques

eglushefski@potomacnews.com

For two months, area firefighters have had free rein with a wing of Manassas Mall that's slated for destruction.

They punched gaping holes in drywall, took axes to glass storefronts and sawed through metal security gates leaving them in near ruins.

In all, firefighters from roughly 30 fire and rescue units had a chance to tear through the abandoned stores near where Sears used to be, said Lt. Mikel Hubbel of the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue.

And it was at least mostly done in the name of training.

"You don't get a lot chances like this," Hubbel said. "Who wouldn't want to come in here and break some stuff?"

After hearing about the pending demolition of the nearly 40,000 square-foot space through the Fire Marshal's Office, Hubbel got on the phone with Dietze Construction Group -- the company handling the demolition that will make way for a Super Wal-Mart -- and worked out a deal.

Wednesday marked the end of what he described as a rare opportunity for firefighters to learn the makeup and obstacles of commercial spaces.

The mission was to rescue a firefighter who has fallen through a weak spot in the roof during a massive blaze.

In full gear, Dan Beck, a technician at the Stonewall Jackson station, and two others were the first in, climbing down a ladder from the rooftop.

After sawing a hole in the security gate, the three began their crawl through the old Sam Goody with their facemasks covered with a sheet of Glad Press'n Seal to simulate heavy smoke.

"All you can see is light and shapes," Beck said later.

About seven minutes later, the team found their guy and another team quickly moved in to finish the job, strapping the firefighter to a gurney and helping send it up to the roof.

"I love breaking stuff," the 24-year-old Beck said gleefully of getting to saw the security gate. "Training like this is invaluable."

A lot of focus was on cutting the roof -- which had four layers of rock, rubber, a four-inch foam membrane and metal -- for ventilation and a rooftop entrance.

This was a particularly important part of the exercise, Hubbel said, since it's much more difficult to create an opening on commercial buildings than it is with houses.

David Halman, 30, a master technician with the Manassas fire department, said that with a roof like the one they were dealing with, it took close to seven minutes to cut an opening.

It took about an hour from start to finish, but the exercise wasn't about speed or timing, Hubbel said.

"It's about getting the applications down," he said. "It's doing it right and doing it safely."

Staff writer Elisa Glushefski can be reached at 703-878-8062 or eglushefski@potomacnews.com.