By Laura Horihan
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

MANTORVILLE -- "Step ... step ... step," called out the firefighter in the middle.

A team of firefighters inched their way closer to a ball of flames artificially produced for a training exercise Saturday morning in the parking lot at Mantor Field.

A gallery of photos from the training

Several fire departments who are members of the Zumbro Valley Mutual Aid Association met for the training exercise to save their departments money.

Four training officers from Riverland Community College in Austin helped prepare the firefighters for the exercise.

Volunteer firefighters from Mantorville, Kasson, West Concord and Dodge Center took turns battling fires in two different scenarios featuring natural gas and an LP gas tank.

Mantorville Fire Department training officer Don Hofstad said the firefighters were creating a curtain with a constant stream of water to control the blaze.

"They don't want the flames to go completely out, otherwise the gas will escape into the atmosphere and cause an explosion," Hofstad said. "If something as small as a rock came through the curtain of water, it could prove disastrous."

Wearing their fireproof gear and breathing masks, the firefighters kept the flames far enough back to allow one of them to get close enough to shut off the gas valve. Afterward, they slowly retreat.

Hofstad said firefighters typically shut off utilities such as electricity and gas right away, but that can be more difficult if there's fire near the gas meter.

"Even more dangerous is an LP tank," Hofstad said. "The sides can get hot and cause an explosion."

LP gas typically is used in rural areas where firefighters don't have constant access to water.

He said fire departments often come together for mutual aid when there is a large fire in a rural area.

Multiple tankers can take turns shuttling water to the scene, but it's dangerous to fight an LP tank fire when you don't know if you'll have enough water, Hofstad said.

"It can be life and death," Hofstad said. "Sometimes you have to ask yourself whether or not the fire is worth putting out."

Hofstad's department has done the training exercise before, however, he said it can be expensive. Saturday's training cost about $2,000, Hofstad said.

"We've got a limited budget for a small community, so it helps to share the expenses through the mutual aid association."

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