As the worst of hurricane season approaches and Hurricane Ian tracks toward landfall, the Longboat Key Fire Department took part in additional training on hurricane-resistant windows.
While the training was not scheduled specifically for Hurricane Ian, it still provided essential training to personnel ahead of the storm and its potential dangers.
Training took place over three days to allow all 33 firefighters in the department to participate in shifts to practice breaking out windows on a home on Gulf of Mexico Drive already planned for demolition.
The trick is breaking a window designed not to break.
“When we have these types of structures, we have the ability to kind of hone our craft without somebody having the misfortune of being burned out of their home,” training captain John Elwood said.