Former UNC Pembroke student-athletes Anna Grossheim and Trenton Brown––who also doubled as volunteer firefighters during their college careers––are no strangers to high-pressure environments.
Naturally, Brown and Grossheim jumped at the chance to participate in a large-scale controlled burn training exercise on campus during winter break. Grossheim, arguably one of the most decorated women’s soccer players in program history, has served as a volunteer firefighter for two years.
“This gave us a great opportunity to train,” said Grossheim, who along with Brown, is pursuing a graduate degree. “We don’t get to experience this type of training on this scale very often, so it was a privilege to be here to train on these buildings. It was great to bring everyone together to simulate a fire in a controlled environment.”
More than 300 firefighters and instructors from 15 counties as far away as Greensboro participated in the multiple-day training, which concluded on Sunday. UNCP partnered with Robeson Community College, Creative Fire and Rescue Training Services, the State Bureau of Investigation and a host of local and regional fire departments and EMS for the controlled burn of former Village Apartments.
Five of the six apartment complexes that were engulfed were three-story buildings. The opportunity to train in a controlled burn environment on this scale was unique, according to Steve West, director of Fire and Rescue Training at RCC, who led the training. West said it was the largest, most comprehensive live fire training exercise that he’s been a part of.
“I’ve been involved with fire and rescue training across the state, but I’ve never been a part of anything on this scale,” West said. “These exercises gave firefighters a huge advantage, so when they encounter real-life experiences, they will know how fire can react in multi-story structures.”
Grossheim and Brown, a member of UNCP’s football and track teams, were among 100 firefighters and other first responders who participated on December 21––the first of the six-day-long training. Brown, who is always up for a challenge and isn’t afraid of heights, climbed to the roof and was responsible for making a trench cut or ventilation hole that would act as a fire break.
“I graduated from the fire academy in 2020, so I’ve been doing this for quite some time,” said Brown, who began his firefighting career in his hometown of Manning, S.C. “I love firefighting, and I’m in a role now where I want to teach younger guys because I'm starting to see a lot of young kids becoming interested in it.”
Before the controlled burn, the SBI conducted exercises involving breaching, bomb squad training and hostage rescue scenarios with flash bangs and controlled explosives.
“We are extremely grateful to UNCP,” said West. “They could have easily brought in a contractor and demolished these buildings. This was a unique experience because we seldom get to burn something of this magnitude. It will be a big advantage for the firefighters when they go into real-life situations because they've got firsthand knowledge of how fire reacts in multi-story structures,” West continued.
The training provided hands-on experience, and helped develop teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills and tested participants’ strength and stamina. Strapped with 50 pounds of turnout gears, firefighters advanced water hoses up three flights of stairs.
“We were also able to provide them with search and rescue training under live fire conditions,” West said.
The controlled burns prepared the site for the construction of UNCP’s new $91 million health sciences building, the future home of the state’s first public Doctor of Optometry program. Officials plan to break ground in 2025.
