NEWS
Ogg simulates dorm fire
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by Bridget Roby
Monday, August 6, 2007
Fire and smoke ravaged Ogg Hall last month, as the vacant residence hall became the temporary training grounds for University of Wisconsin police officers and city of Madison firefighters.
The emergency exercises, which ran from July 9-15, allowed both public safety agencies to practice handling emergencies in high-rise buildings. Officers did not need to worry much about damage inflicted on the building, as Ogg Hall is scheduled to be demolished in August.
"This was a very rare opportunity," Lori Wirth, public information officer for the Madison Fire Department said. "There are very few high-rise buildings in Madison, and even fewer that are not in use."
According to Wirth, fighting fires in high-rise buildings offers unique challenges compared to fighting a fire on the ground. Among other differences, firefighters often have to carry all of their equipment up the stairs, as elevator use is limited.
"Elevator use is part of the training. They can turn them on and off," Wirth said. "This helps in knowing how it travels and what to look for."
Firefighters also set wooden pallets on fire inside the 13-story building and used theatrical smoke to help simulate a real emergency, according to a UW release.
While the MFD occupied the west tower during this week of training, UW police officers used the east tower as their training grounds.
According to UW Police Sgt. Benjamin Newman, small groups of officers reported to the building at a time for a few hours of intense training.
"The day was kind of separated into active shooter training and training on new tools that we have for entry into buildings," Newman said.
UW police officers have not had an opportunity to work in a high-rise venue since they trained in the Peterson Building, which, before its demolition, was a UW administrative office building.
"The Peterson building was not an apartment complex, so Ogg Hall definitely granted us a new experience," Newman said.
Following the demolition of the old Ogg Hall this month, the newly built Ogg Hall will be open to residents this fall.
Anonymous (August 7, 2007 @ 12:31pm):
""The Peterson building was not an apartment complex, so Ogg Hall definitely granted us a new experience," Newman said."
Hahahaha, Newman. Do you want to know what really happened at the Peterson Building during "police training"? The cops went hog-wild busting in doors and smashing windows--when they were explicitly instructed not too. I guess you had a little too much fun, Newman, more than you are willing to let on it.
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