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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; It was back to school Wednesday for some city firefighters.</p><p>They moved from classroom work to a fire- and smoke-filled simulator to identify the conditions that lead up to the dangerous phenomenon of &#8220;flashover&#8221; and experience it firsthand.</p><p>&#8220;This class is strictly for the safety of the firefighters,&#8221; said Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department Chief Jay Delaney.</p><p>Four certified instructors from the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy are teaching the eight-hour course and it&#8217;s at no cost to the city, Delaney said. The training, coordinated by Wilkes-Barre Fire Capt. Robert Suchoski, began Wednesday and resumes Thursday. It will be held again Nov. 7 and 8.</p><p>The first day of training took place behind the Murray Complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue near the East Ross Street fire headquarters. Teams of firefighters in protective gear and wearing air packs sat in the simulator resembling a steel cargo container attached to an elevated furnace that burned wood pallets and oriented strand board sheathing.</p><p>The OSB sheets, also known as flakeboard, were used to produce gases emitted when modern furnishings burn, said Deputy Fire Chief Alan Klapat. Flashover temperatures range between 1,100 and 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters train during a fire simulation outside the Murray Complex in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre firefighters train during a fire simulation outside the Murray Complex in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters hold a fire training exercise outside the Murray Complex in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre firefighters hold a fire training exercise outside the Murray Complex in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters are seen on the other end of the fire simulation trailer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes-Barre firefighters are seen on the other end of the fire simulation trailer. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters Wednesday participated in safety exercises inside a &#8216;flashover&#8217; fire simulator set up outside the Murray Complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110217WBFire1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Wilkes-Barre firefighters Wednesday participated in safety exercises inside a &#8216;flashover&#8217; fire simulator set up outside the Murray Complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

A burning desire to learn at ‘flashover’ fire school