UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The site of Hershey's Restaurant building, now owned by Sparrow Health Systems, will be torn down in the near future to make room for Sparrow's new urgent care facility. But before that happens, local fire departments have taken this opportunity to get some extra training in!

For two weeks, firefighters from Meridian Township, East Lansing, and Lansing used the building for training simulations. By filling the building with theatrical smoke, they were able to simulate the very limited visibility of a real scenario where they might have to find their way to a person trapped in a building.

They also got a chance to train with their new Pak Tracker technology. A device on the firefighter's air tank is able to detect when they have been inactive for 30 seconds. If they do not move before another 30 seconds is up, the pack goes into full alert mode and emits a signal which can then be tracked by other firefighters to locate their injured crew member.

Although a training scenario doesn't have the same adrenaline filled rush as a real life situation, the firefighters were glad to have a chance to practice before the real thing. They also had a good time breaking through walls to save Rescue Randy the dummy!

ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Before the site of Hershey's Restaurant is torn down to make room for Sparrow Hospital's new urgent care facility, the Meridian Township Fire Department is making use of it. Find out more on Beyond the Badge!