Department Uses New Tactic to Battle House Fire

Battling a house fire might seem like a chaotic event.

For the , putting out was “almost like a theatrical performance,” said Deputy Public Safety Director Todd Johnson.

The department used a new tactic in which firefighters place high-powered fans at the entrance and exit, clearing smoke and heat so crews can more closely focus on the flames, Johnson told Patch at the scene Monday.

The Woodbury Fire Department is the only one in the region to use the method, Johnson said, and local firefighters planned to demonstrate it for their counterparts during a training event tonight (April 24) in St. Paul.

In addition to helping firefighters douse flames, it’s also a safer technique, Johnson said. The Woodbury FD has been practicing the tactic for the past two years and put it into action only a couple of times before Monday’s fire, he said.

The fire on Pheasant Run Road was “just like training,” Johnson said, noting that firefighters have practiced with the fans 150 times. And the new technique helped.

“They had the fans out and were able to get in within a matter of minutes, even though it was a fully involved room,” he said.

As for Johnson’s theater analogy, the effort during Monday’s fire “followed the script exactly,” he said.

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