Our son is a firefighter so we know how important training and experience is for firefighters to stay safe, for firefighters to save structures. In most of Vermont, firefighters are volunteers who are willing to put their lives on the line for your house.
We have donated the Ridge Road house to the local fire department for fire training. Since the house has to be demolished, this will help give something positive to the community with the loss of the house.
Randolph Center, East Randolph, Randolph Village and Brookfield firefighters will conduct a fire training exercise on Sunday, February 25th.
I know this will be hard for family. But even though it is more dramatic than a typical demolition, the end result is the same. Even though the original house will be gone, the memories will still be there. A house as close to the original as possible will be rebuilt.
Volunteer firefighters in Randolph will have the opportunity to train at the Ridge Road house.
Our son was trained at the Massachusetts Fire Academy.
Here is the process I went through to donate the house for fire training:
Contact your local fire department to see if they are interested in a donation of your building for firefighter training
Read about regulations- Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation. All forms needed are also available at this link:
Before a training can take place:
Asbestos Testing & Removal
A few months prior to the controlled burn
This was done by former owners Megan & Peter in June 2023
Assess the building for presence of asbestos by an asbestos consultant with an official inspection.
You can find a list of available asbestos contractors or consultants via the link above under “licensed asbestos contractor.”
This project used:
K-D Associates, Inc.
41 IDX Drive, Suite 209
South Burlington, VT 05403
802 862-7490
They did comprehensive evaluation and testing of many surfaces, inside and out in the house (any possible asbestos-containing surfaces).
Any surface found to contain a certain concentration of asbestos they will recommend be removed.
This project used Henderson Excavation as the project monitor to submit paperwork documenting the removal. (The project monitor cannot be the contractor removing the asbestos.)
Contact a licensed asbestos abatement or removal contractor. A list of licensed contractors can be found in the link above.
This project used:
Mid-State Asbestos
PO Box 77
Roxbury, VT 05669
802 485-4892
Plan for removal of as many items as possible from the building. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Air Quality and Climate Division in Montpelier, VT prefers that “asphalt materials, vinyl, rubber, plastic, materials containing asbestos, pressure treated wood, carpeting, linoleum, and other synthetic materials, siding or trim coated with lead paint and any mercury containing fluorescent bulbs, thermostats and switches must be removed to the greatest extent possible from any structure to be burned to reduce the generation of toxic air pollutants and heavy smoke.”
As long as you attempt to move as much as is practical and check with the fire department, the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation relies on the firefighters to determine what works best for them.
We are removing the metal roof before the fire training so it doesn’t trap the fire or fall into the building. The underlying wooden roof can remain. We are removing all metal objects as much as possible from the house, along with any appliances.
The firefighters we worked with prefer some typical household items remain in the house so that training mimics real life situations, so we are leaving some (minimal) furniture.
About a month prior to the demolition:
Get a town demolition permit
Fill out application with fee payment, $50, in the town of Randolph, via the Zoning Administrator, Town Hall
Post the permit so it can be seen from the road
Wait the required 16 days before the permit is valid
21- 14 days prior to controlled burn (notices must arrive at the correct addresses 14 days prior):
Send fire training notices to any residents within a ½ mile of the location of the controlled burn.
The Fire Chief signed a short memo that announced the fire training location and date. I made copies of this memo to send out.
I used GIS maps to determine which neighbors were within ½ mile radius of our house and get appropriate addresses.
(NOTE- a surprising 56 residences were found to be within a ½ mile of the house so this can be a big project)
Suggestion- use certified mail to document the mailing notices (~ $6.00/address)
14 days prior to controlled burn:
Send a Fire Training Notification Form to
Department of Environmental Conservation Air Quality and Climate Division Davis Building – 4th Floor One National Life Drive
Montpelier, VT 05620-3802
Telephone: (802) 338-2047
email: brian.monroe@vermont.gov
10 days prior to the controlled burn:
The testing report (or pre-demolition inspection report) and a copy of the asbestos removal documentation via a form called Notification of Demolition (from the Vermont Department of Health, Environmental Health, Asbestos and Lead Regulatory Program, 108 Cherry Street, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, VT 05402) a copy must be submitted to the VT Dept of Health. Special NOTE: Under section II. Type of Operation check off Fire Training.
Send the original Notification of Demolition to:
Demo/Reno Notifications
U.S. EPA, Region 1
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (OES05-4)
Boston, MA 02109-3912
At least a week before the controlled burn:
Contact the local Fire Warden to acquire a burn permit.
This was handled by the local firefighters for our project.
Make sure you don’t have any insurance on the house structure.
Meet with firefighters to tour the house, I also provided them with floor plans of the house.
Since the house is not all-natural wood, the firefighters will use self-contained breathing apparatus.
The day of the training, the firefighters plan on being at the site from 7 AM until 5 PM. They will not leave the site until it is cold. They will work with Eric Henderson, excavator, to use his help to direct objects into the fire.
Eric Henderson, after the fire, will dispose of all ash and residues properly as solid waste.
He estimates this will take him about a week or two after the fire training demolition. Our demolition permit allows two months for cleanup. The cellar hole must be filled in properly for safety reasons.
Your journaling is lovely to read. I do hope you are hard copying this, it will be a great coffee table book for your old/new home.
I have enjoyed reading your progress. This sounds bitter sweet but exciting.
The to-do list is so long!
Wow! Quite a lot of prep, who knew?