By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The Niles City Fire Department and the Niles Township Fire Department participated in a training exercise in downtown Niles on Thursday.
The fire departments shut down the 100 block of North Third Street for the practice run from 1 to 2 p.m.
The former Elk's Lodge was the site for the exercise, which gave the firefighters a chance to gain more experience using the city's 95-foot platform ladder and the township's 75-foot ladder truck.
Niles City Fire Chief Larry Lamb said these types of training exercises are a big help in being prepared for when disaster does strike.
Lamb said with the new businesses and multiple unit occupancies available downtown, there is now a greater likelihood of a fire occurring.
The training was treated just as if it were a real fire.
The Niles Dispatch Center radioed in the fire and both departments rushed to the scene and closed off the street.
The Niles City Fire Department used their platform ladder to react to the Old Elk's Building, while the Niles Township Fire Department provided exposure protection to the rest of the block.
He said the exercise allowed the departments to work on a number of things including ladder tactics, radio communication, a coordinated approach with the two departments, scene accountability and simply getting the fire fighters more comfortable with these types of situations.