Excerpts from the Daily-Chronicle.com:
Things were going to get heated before Monday’s Sycamore City Council meeting when the Sycamore Fire Department sets up its new training device on Somonauk Street before the meeting.
The fire department brought in the propane-fueled generator in the spring, with money from a grant from Country Financial. The department also will use the simulator to train employees of assisted-living or public housing facilities.
Residents will be able to learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher beginning at 6:45 p.m. Monday in front of the Sycamore Center at 308 E. State St.
The generator is self-contained in a stainless steel unit filled with water. When turned on, propane will bubble up through the water and ignite, creating a flame above the water.
The size of the flame is adjustable and can get up to about 10 feet in height, depending on the comfort level of the people being trained.
Because it uses propane, the flame generator is safe environmentally. Other types of training simulators that use fuels such as diesel fuel would need to be disposed of, but propane burns cleanly.
