Local house donated for fire department training exercise

SPLITTING IMAGE: Volunteers nearing the end of the two-day training on self-rescue techniques. Photo courtesy of the Penobscot Fire Department.

Jan. 19, 2026

Local fire departments tore through a house in Penobscot that was donated for a joint training exercise, practicing drills and techniques to escape if trapped in a structure fire.

Sixteen firefighters from Penobscot, Blue Hill, Sedgwick, Stonington, Castine and Surry took part in the Jan. 10-11 training. The Rapid Intervention Team and Self-Rescue class was taught by Skowhegan-based Maineiac Fire Training.

The house, which is scheduled for demolition, was made available for the exercise by its owners.

—John Boit

Firefighters practiced ladder evacuations and simulated the low visibility inside a burning structure by placing wax paper inside their face masks. Penobscot assistant fire chief Tyler Snow peers through a hole in the wall of the house that was donated for the training exercise. Photos courtesy of the Penobscot Fire Department.