By Andrea Pettes
 
February 11, 2010
 
MEDFORD, Ore. - According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health more than 19 firefighters have died during training sessions between 1989 and 2009.
 
Fire departments are mandated by federal, state and local laws to keep everyone on fire lines safe.
 
A group of Medford firefighters were at a house Thursday for training sessions in which the house was filled with thick smoke and firefighters were forced to get victims to safety..
 
Medford fire captains say they are required before each training session to perform several days of prep work first. That involves coming to the house and looking for any possible hazards or issues and fixing them before adding any of the training elements.
 
"We have a group of personnel that has extensive training on how to put these types of drills on, and we sent them to those trainings," Medford Fire Captain Larry Sills said.
 
The fire department says they also track firefighter fatalities and injuries across the nation and use them as training lessons on what to watch out for or what not to do.
 
Jackson County Fire District No. 3 recently took criticism after firefighters suffered minor burns during a training exercise nearly a year ago.