OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Okeechobee County will host hundreds of firefighters from across multiple states and Mexico this week as part of a large-scale fire training exercise.
The event, known as the Treasure Coast H.O.T, which stands for hands-on training, is being held in Okeechobee for the first time. Approximately 200 firefighters are expected to participate, traveling from all over Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Mexico.
The training will take place on the grounds of the former Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee, where dilapidated buildings will be used for realistic fire scenarios. Fire Rescue officials say the structures have been prepped to simulate a variety of emergency situations, such as window extractions and interior rescues.
“It’s a live acquired structure. It gives them a more realistic training environment to participate in a live fire training and see what they’re going to face in their day-to-day challenges,” said Earl Wooten, chief of Okeechobee County Fire Rescue.
Donny Stefani, division chief with the St. Lucie County Fire District and a member of the St. Lucie County Firefighters Benevolent, emphasized the collaborative learning opportunity.
“There are different ways that we can learn and learning from all the different areas, from their buildings and their structures and their response zones gives us the ability to pick up new skills,” Stefani said.
The training program happens annually. This year, Okeechobee County Fire Rescue is partnering with St. Lucie County Firefighters Benevolent and Indian River State College. The hands-on fire training and live burning will begin Friday and continue through Saturday.
