FAIRHOPE, Ala. — “Practice makes perfect” is a familiar old adage. When it comes to fighting fires, practice perfects safety.

That’s what members of the volunteer fire departments of Fairhope, Barnwell, Magnolia Springs and Marlow/Fish River were engaged in Saturday during a deliberately set house fire on County Road 24 in Barnwell. The controlled burn exercise was conducted under the direction of Barnwell Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roy Glenn.

“It was one of the best ones I have been on in a while,” Glenn said. “We very seldom get to practice on a two-story building.”

Fire departments are required to conduct this type of training at least once a year, Glenn said, adding that if a structure was not available, fire towers located throughout the county were used for the exercises.

About 20 firefighters attended the training, which began Friday evening when a four-hour session was held on rapid intervention training (RIT).

“This is training firefighters to rescue other firefighters who have been injured or gotten trapped during a fire call,” Glenn said.

The actual burn began at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, Glenn said, when the firefighters practiced “interior attack,” in which fire in different areas of the structure are put out. Then at 8:30, the training moved outside where Glenn said they practiced “exterior attacks” for about four hours.

The exercise gave firefighters the opportunity to practice teamwork, interdepartment coordination and communication. For new members of the fire departments, it was their first hands-on introduction to firefighting, rescue and safety techniques.

“It is very intense training,” Glenn said. “Some of our new recruits had never been in a fire before.”

Anyone interested in donating a building for a fire department training exercise should contact their local volunteer fire department.