Boise firefighters are using the strip mall, practicing forcible entry, ventilation and hoseline deployment as the FD rebuilds experience amid retirements and rapid staffing growth

BOISE, Idaho — With the shuttered Boise Factory Outlets now empty, firefighters are running live fire drills inside the commercial strip setting, practicing tactics that are difficult to replicate in traditional training props.

“This is maybe, you know, a once-in-a-career opportunity for these crews to be able to train in this type of building,” Captain Joe Lunghofer, of the department’s training division, told KTVB. “We have a great opportunity at our training center to practice the basics and the fundamentals, but when it comes to actually being able to practice firefighting, we rely on these buildings for our training.”

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Lunghofer said that in more than a decade with the department, he had never participated in live-fire training focused on commercial strip-mall firefighting, a scenario that brings unique challenges in layout, access, ventilation and fire spread.

The training opportunity came together after a local company reached out to a property manager, who then connected Boise Fire with the building’s owners. The owners agreed to donate use of the property after Eddie Bauer, the mall’s last remaining tenant, closed on Jan. 28, effectively ending operations at the outlet center.

Firefighters focused on pre-assigned roles and strip-mall tactics, including forcible entry, rear access, stretching 2½-inch hoselines and establishing a water supply. Training began with a 30-minute class and safety briefing before instructors ignited wood-only fuel loads, stacked pallets and straw, designed to produce lighter smoke than a real structure fire by avoiding plastics and petroleum-based materials.

The Boise Fire Department has faced a recent wave of retirements, leaving a younger workforce and rapid staffing turnover. With new recruit academies and newly promoted officers filling the ranks, large-scale training operations like this one are especially valuable for building experience quickly.

When was the last time you had live fire training or trained in an acquired structure? What lessons were reinforced, and what new lessons were learned?

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