HASTINGS — Mary Lanning Healthcare has invited the Hastings Fire Department to train in some of the unoccupied houses it owns adjacent to the hospital campus.
Kevin Taylor, MLH Director of Engineering, said MLH wanted to provide a community service by allowing local firefighters to get training before the houses are removed in preparation for upcoming construction of the Medical Office Building (MOB) parking lot. More parking space will be necessary once the MOB, which is currently under construction, opens.
Taylor said the fire department anticipates training — at 744, 750, 800, 804 and 816 N. Kansas Avenue — will begin Saturday and Sunday, and continue as time allows next week. He urged community members to watch out for fire trucks in the area.
Taylor said the houses are in generally poor condition, and MLH is glad to provide this opportunity to the fire department. He said the Engineering Department will attempt to save any architectural features of the homes, if possible.
Ryan Dooley, Hastings Fire Department Training and EMS Coordinator, said the houses will not be burned but training will include creating vertical ventilation, breach of walls inside, forced entry and search-and-rescue drills.
Dooley asked that the community limit travel in the area during training because of the heavy equipment required to be on-site. However, he said the community is more than welcome to watch the training from the other side of the street.