SOUTH THOMASTON – They entered the house, three at a time. A dark, empty building, shuttered against the rain and the light of day. Blindly they crept forward, their rational brains reminding them of the house’s sturdy old age. They knew of the numerous pre-training walk throughs. They’d idled while health-hazard paneling was ripped away before fire found it.

Still, even in training, a firefighter’s vital signs can jump.

For one, it was a faulty mask that came loose just feet from the front entrance. For a couple, underlying ailments played a factor. And for everyone else, a combination of adrenaline and fear of the unknown ruled the moment.

During Saturday’s, May 6, controlled burn in South Thomaston, firefighters gained experience entering a fire scene. At the same time, they were able to compare pre- and post-entry vital signs, courtesy of Midcoast School of Technology EMT students.

“We had a couple of them [vitals] that were high,” according to Julia Kurr and Morgan Smith.

“One of the guys didn’t feel too well so he had to sit down,” the girls said. “Another one, his blood pressure was really high, like 180 over 120. He needed to drink a couple bottles of water, have a snack and just cool down.”

Julia, of Spruce Head, and Morgan, of Waldoboro, along with their instructor, Mike Drinkwater, took their school ambulance (donated by St. George) to 57 Spruce Head Road for Saturday’s event to hone their skills as well as help the crew with their comparisons.

Some blood pressures, O2s, pulses and respiration were high. Some were low. Some didn’t change at all despite hauling the large, pumping hose to back rooms and upstairs. They’d knelt on the ground when they’d found the fire source, according to 31-year veteran Earl Sutherland of Thomaston. As the fire spread from the hay to the wall, they sprayed up that wall, along the ceiling, until visions of the room returned to their eyes.

The firefighter training was Julia’s second real-world EMT training. Last weekend she shadowed at Pen Bay Medical Center; the first person to come through the door being a deceased man. Still, she is excited to continue on in the healthcare field, take the CNA course next year, for the ultimate goal of working in the nursing field.

Morgan’s real-world experience in the field started today. Next weekend, she does her stint at Waldo County General Hospital. Her future plans involve becoming a traveling nurse.

Dylan Hill, on the other hand, has called himself a firefighter for the past five years. He likes helping people, he said. Yet, the town of Cushing, where he resides, doesn’t see too many fires. Therefore, Hill hasn’t had a lot of experience. Today, at the lead of the nozzle, he followed the directions of instructors as he made his way through the smoky, unfamiliar rooms.

When asked to describe the inside scene, one word came to mind: hot. Very hot.

“You can’t really smell anything in there with a mask on, but the smoke was really thick until the fire was starting to go out,” he said of the hay bales lit repeatedly in various sections of the house.

“I was mostly just excited to go in,” he said. “It’s a good feeling, an adrenaline rush. I like doing it.”

See also: South Thomaston house burned to ash during training exercise

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com