On Thursday night, 25 of Cutchogue's Bravest once again traveled to the Suffolk County Fire Academy Yaphank for live fire training. The firefighters participated in the "Taxpayer" drill.

This drill simulates a commercial building fire and is held in a specially designed building that replicates a small strip mall. The drill prepares firefighters to fight fires in commercial buildings and stores in our area such as King Kullen, hardware store and other commercial and mixed use properties.

The Cutchogue Fire Department like many other fire departments in Suffolk County, routinely travel to the Fire academy several times over the course of the year, to participate in different training evolutions.

Last night marked the first of six different times that the CFD will travel to the academy to participate in live fire drills this year.

Firefighters participated in 2 different evolutions under live fire conditions that tested their skills.

Last night's drill was particularly important for CFD. With the arrival of our new Quint, we are currently integrating the use of an aerial apparatus into our regular fireground operations.

After months of training locally, it was the first time that our firefighters had the opportunity to utilize the new 8-5-3 at the fire academy in a live fire scenario.

Under the watchful eyes and guidance of the academy staff, both the truck and firefighters performed as expected throughout the night.

Thank you to the instructors and staff at the Suffolk County Fire Academy for providing this valuable training and sharing your knowledge with us.

The Suffolk County Fire Academy plays an important part in training and ensuring that our Volunteers are prepared for any emergency.