COEUR d'ALENE - The demolition of a building at Dave Smith Motors in Coeur d'Alene gave the city's fire department an opportunity for two days of real-world training.

Beginning Sunday afternoon, members of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department used the building to train in practical ventilation by using chain saws to cut holes in the roof, and practiced a variety of methods for quickly exiting buildings in the event of a structure fire getting out of control.

"It's an excellent training for the firefighters," said Merle Bigger, Dave Smith Motors general sales manager. "It helps them further their education and then better help our community."

Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief Lee Holbrook was on site throughout the two days of training and said being able to use the building gave firefighters a way to practice techniques on a type of structure "not uncommon" in the community.

"Everyone is getting a lot of quality training," Holbrook said.

The timing of the training, according to Holbrook, was fortunate, since three of the department's ladder captains had just returned from extensive training in Boise.

"Now they're able to pass that on," Holbrook said.

In traditional training, the fire department uses a roof made of thin material placed on the ground. Holbrook said using the roof of a building made of thicker material, with a pitch that is common in Coeur d'Alene homes, translates into a "safer, more efficient fire company."

"Having this real-world training is beneficial to the community because it allows us to get the training we need, and hopefully save more buildings and people as a result," Holbrook said. "Plus firefighters, by nature, like to break stuff."