As construction of the new hospital building gets closer to completion, UConn Health firefighters are putting some of their focus on how to take the building apart.

With a two-story mock-up created by the contractor to showcase a portion of the tower no longer needed, the UConn Health Fire Department used it as an important training opportunity.

“It’s almost identical in construction to the new hospital,” says Capt. John Kowalski. “It gives us a chance to go over the construction of the building so we know what we’re dealing with if we ever have to gain access, or for ventilation and rescue if we need it.”

That may involve taking out a window or cutting through a wall or roof, using a combination of power tools, brute force, and brain power to gain entry.

The exercise was as much about learning about the structure itself as it was about tactical training.

“Going into to this, we knew there were different materials, like metal and masonry in the walls and metal decking on the roof,” Kowalski says. “This helps us find out what kinds of issues we may encounter and how we can be prepared for them in a real event.”

All firefighters are trained to save lives first and preserve property second. The UConn Health Fire Department has the additional priority of business continuity – enabling the clinical operations to continue when possible.

Ideally if a window needs to go, it can be removed intact rather than smashed. On this building, the firefighters learned that was an option for some windows, but not for all of them.

Still, the destructive nature of this exercise makes it a popular one.

“I never have trouble finding volunteers for this,” Kowalski says.