Manning Motel provides Superior Fire Department unique training opportunity

Firefighters took on a unique training opportunity at the Manning Motel in Superior Wednesday.

The motel caught fire back in 2019 and has sat empty ever since. So, it was donated to the Superior Fire Department for hands on learning experiences.

“When you get opportunities like this, it benefits everyone,” Captain Joe Tribbey said.

What makes this building unique is that it has a flat roof instead of a pitched roof, so Tribbey said firefighters are able to practice performing flat roof ventilation.

“We’re basically simulating on the fact that if we had a fire, how we would release that smoke and heat up and out. It’s a little bit different on a flat roof versus a pitched roof,” Tribbey said.

Tribbey said these roofs tend to have multiple layers to them, so different techniques come into play.

“There will be rubber, tar, all sorts of different things,” Tribbey said. “One of the things we have to do when we get up there is figure out which way the roof joists are going because we can’t see them. On a normal structure, we can look up and go ‘Oh, they are going to the peak.’ Here, we have no idea, so there’s some safety factors we can build in and a lot of learning."

According to Tribbey, the motel is also being used by the Superior Police Department and SWAT team for training.

By the time crews are done with it, Tribbey said it will have seen about 40 hours’ worth of opportunities for hands on experience.