photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical crews work to prepare the Tri Delta House, 1630 Oxford Road, for a training exercise on June 14, 2023.

Lawrence firefighters will use an old sorority house for training before the house is torn down, according to a news release Wednesday from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical.

Crews will begin training at the Tri Delta House, 1630 Oxford Road, starting Thursday. The multistory house, originally constructed in 1955, has been slated for demolition in coming weeks.

Training will not include live fires, and the building will not be burned down, LDCFM said. But theatrical “smoke” will be used to simulate the reduced visibility experienced by firefighters during actual fire responses.

Additional training activities will include hose advancement, coordinated ventilation and search-and-rescue. Some training will involve the use of equipment such as power tools and ladders. Representatives of the surrounding neighborhood association have been notified, and LDCFM’s Training Division has worked to contact immediate neighbors, the release said.

LDCFM’s Training Division will coordinate and oversee the drills for all three of the department’s shifts. Training is expected to continue for the few weeks prior to the start of active demolition. LDCFM Fire Chief Rich Llewellyn said access to such buildings for training purposes is important because it “provides opportunities for firefighter training that are otherwise difficult or impossible to create.”

“We appreciate the neighborhood’s understanding regarding the increased presence of LDCFM vehicles and personnel over the next couple of weeks,” Llewellyn said in the release.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical crews work to prepare the Tri Delta House, 1630 Oxford Road, for a training exercise on June 14, 2023.