Twelve Park City Fire District recruits walked into a controlled structure fire Thursday, Sept. 17. The live-fire exercise took place at the district's Station 33 campus on Bitner Road.

The recruits were chosen from 150 applicants, the Park Record reported. They are now partway through a 13-week fire academy that, if they meet standards, will lead to full-time jobs before ski season. For most, it was their first time ever entering a burning building.

Split into two groups, each led by an instructor, the recruits entered a training structure built to withstand repeated fires. Inside, a stack of wooden pallets burned as a bonfire. Then the door closed behind them.

Battalion Chief Max Dosher, who leads the district's training division, said the room reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit near the floor and 1,200 degrees at the ceiling. The goal was for recruits to observe fire behavior in what's formally called an Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) environment.

"I know it's corny, but fire is living and breathing," instructor David Horning told his group. He said fire acts based on what you give it and what you take away.

Instructors walked recruits through scenarios: what happens when a window opens, how visibility shifts at different heights, what adding fuel does to a blaze and how water pressure and angle affect flames.

The exercise was also the recruits' first time training in full turnout gear. The three-layer suits use Kevlar on the outside, an air barrier in the middle and a moisture barrier as the innermost layer, according to Horning. Recruits also wear an oxygen mask and carry a tank on their back and an axe at the hip. The full load totals about 55 pounds, Dosher said.

Each suit carries a personal safety alarm device, called a PASS device, that beeps when it stops detecting movement. In a real emergency, the alarm helps locate a fallen firefighter.

Lead instructor Sam Robison said the burn day was also the first time recruits trained with their masks on, testing whether they could manage claustrophobia in extreme heat.

The burn day normally falls during the academy's first week, but the Labor Day weekend pushed it to week two. The district has run its own academy since 2004. About a quarter of Utah fire districts train recruits in-house, according to Dosher.

The academy is timed to fill staffing gaps before ski season. The district employs about 100 people across eight stations. To enter the program, applicants needed only an EMT certification, then passed a written exam, an oral interview and a physical test.

Each morning, recruits start with at least an hour of physical training. Options include a hike to Jupiter Peak, a run through Old Town or a strength workout.

The remaining weeks will cover structure firefighting, hazmat operations, vehicle extrication scenarios and a 24-hour shift simulating field conditions. Recruits will also be trained for backcountry rescues.

To graduate, recruits must complete 15 laps up the steps of Utah Olympic Park's 120-meter Nordic ski jump. The tradition dates to the academy's founding in 2004. Residents can learn more about the Park City Fire District at parkcityfire.org.