GINA B. GOOD / PVT Dep. Chief Kevin Kleinworth, right, holds the computerized device used to control the flames and smoke inside the mobile trainer, as he checks over safety equipment on the first team scheduled to participate in the exercise. GINA B. GOOD / PVT Members of Nye County fire departments in Pahrump and Amargosa Valley suit up for training in the live fire mobile trainer on loan from West Wendover, Nev. Advertisement

Imagine entering a burning home, breaching a stuck door and encountering an unconscious 160-pound man that must be pulled to safety out the front door.

Then think about crawling back into the smoke-filled house in 500-degree heat to quench the fire that started near the living room. The fire is creeping up the walls, and if not stopped soon, it will flash overhead and onto the ceiling.

Seventeen Nye County firefighters experienced that situation Tuesday evening while burdened with heavy turnouts, weighing from 40 to 60 pounds, depending upon how much compressed air they carried.

The equipment the firefighters wore for protection included a yellow two-piece insulated suit, a fire retardant hoodie covering head and neck, a tank and breathing apparatus with a voice amplifier, thick gloves, glasses and a helmet with a clear face mask. Heavy boots protected their feet from the hot surfaces.

In an actual home fire, temperatures can reach 1,100 to 2,000 degrees, depending upon building materials. Older wooden homes have more sap in the wood and burn hotter than homes built with more modern materials.

Three Amargosa Valley firefighters, Trevor Dolby, Shaun Gilliband and Russ Hamlin, joined Pahrump's personnel at the Emergency Services facility on Siri Lane, using a 54-foot mobile life fire trainer that can simulate a number of different scenarios.

Many of the firefighters used the trainer as a refresher course, but a number of men and women took the final written exam for Firefighter I Tuesday night and used the trainer to complete the course. In order to earn Firefighter I status, a live-fire exercise is necessary.

From the outside, the trainer is an oblong box on wheels with a tower, or second story, that pulls back down into the box when in transit. Smoke poured out of the tower before the exit door at the top was closed to keep the smoke inside to make conditions more realistic.

The top of the trainer also includes a slanted roof structure. A roof ladder can be used to reach the roof, which can be broken through to reach sheetrock. The exercise is similar to punching into an attic for ventilation.

The mobile trainer also has a standpipe system. At buildings such as Las Vegas casinos or other large facilities, a fire hose can be directly connected to the building's internal water system.

Teams of three -- two firefighters plus a firefighter-monitor -- entered the trainer. The team hosed down the front door and in most cases crawled inside, carrying the hose from the engine parked near by. There was no light inside the trainer that was divided into an entry area and living room. Although visibility was poor, each team found and rescued the heavy, 'unconscious' dummy and successfully fought the fire.

Dep. Chief Kevin Kleinworth or Chief Jim Medici, also wearing full turnout gear, observed inside while using a computerized control box to regulate the flames and smoke.

Pahrump firefighters taking advantage of the mobile trainer or helping with logistics included Ed Booss, Larry Levy, Qiana Medici, James Ward, Jana Riley, John Hanson, Robert Vaughn, Kenneth Jackson, Royal Wells, Scott Culshaw, Keith Young and Grant Roberts.

Communications Officer Fred Jones was housed in a small area outside the fire area in the trainer. He kept an eye on the teams through a thick window and could shut down the entire scenario in case of emergency.

The fully self-contained trainer has a generator for power and propane tanks to generate flames. It weights 54,000 pounds and is entirely computer based.

According to Jones, if time allows, Nye County Emergency Services will do some maintenance on the trainer, replacing parts before sending it on. NCES will send the trainer on to Amargosa, Beatty, Tonopah, Round Mountain, Gabbs and Duckwater as well as to Lund and White Pine before it is dropped off for the Pioche Fire Department who will return it to its home in West Wendover.