The Minnesota Chapter of NFSA conducted a side by side burn demonstration for a crowd of about 250 people at the National Night Out activities in Virginia, MN on August 6. The event was hosted by the Virginia Fire Department, where both Fire Chief Allen Lewis and Fire Marshal Chris Clark are NFSA members. Marshal Clark was instrumental in providing logistical support for the demonstration, and even staffed the attack line with Fire Explorer Kylie Barnazelli to put out the unsprinklered fire. The photo below – captured by Mesabi Daily News photojournalist Mark Sauer – caught the the action right at the point of “flashover!”

This side by side demonstration was the first time the MN Chapter’s trailer has been used outside the Twin Cities metro area. One of the Chapter’s 2019 initiatives is to conduct more demonstrations with the trailer, and to distribute those live burns more widely across the state.

Following this demonstration, personnel from the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, Lloyd Property Management, and Local 669 Sprinkler Fitters from the Summit Company’s Duluth office were recognized for a life-saving sprinkler activation that occurred in a retrofitted iconic building in downtown Virginia. The award reciptents and the live burn demonstration were very well received by the enthusiastic crowd!

Click here for more photos from this event by Mark Sauer!