Pascoag Fire Department trains on Lake Shore Drive

PASCOAG, R.I. (WLNE) — The Pascoag Fire Department has begun using a house on Lake Shore Drive that is set for demolition as a training ground.

The department said it was joined by the Wallum Lake and Oakland Mapleville Fire Departments Saturday to practice searches.

They added that the house allows the departments to practice skills that are not part of a normal practice regimen.

“A total of 25 members turned out on their own time to put their skills to use in a realistic training environment,” the department said.

The exercises are set to take place over two weeks and the department said it will try to keep neighborhood disruptions to a minimum.

“The experience our members gain through such realistic training is invaluable and truly cannot be replicated in a training facility,” the department said.