A vacant apartment building in Cranbrook, B.C., is getting one last use before it’s torn down.

“We don’t usually get these types of scenarios,” said Capt. Matt Carson with Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services, adding it’s a rare opportunity for crews.

Inside the former Claydon Villa, firefighters move through darkened hallways, navigating tight spaces and unfamiliar layouts as they simulate emergency scenarios.

For crews, it’s a chance to train in a real residential building, something difficult to replicate in controlled environments and participate in training they say can make a difference when responding to emergencies in the community.

The Claydon Villa site has a long history in Cranbrook. The 18-unit townhouse complex was originally used to house low-income families and people at risk of homelessness.

The site is set to be redeveloped into Indigenous housing, with the ʔAqantⱠanam Housing Society leading the project. 

Deputy Fire Chief Murray Robertson says the unfamiliar setting helps crews test their skills in more realistic conditions.

“We’re entering without any prior knowledge and just testing our skills and our training,” he said. “We do have a training building at our station, but this is a nice opportunity to use a facility that we’re not familiar with.”

Fire Chief Scott Driver says training in a real-world environment helps improve operational readiness.

“The building offers a valuable and unique training environment for our firefighters,” he said. 

“Training in a new location allows our crews to enhance their operational readiness, practise realistic emergency scenarios and strengthen their skills, which directly contribute to increased community safety.”

Driver added that the exercises are carefully planned and controlled to ensure safety for firefighters, nearby residents and surrounding properties.

Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services responded to 587 calls in the final three months of 2025, with about 30 per cent of those related to fire rescue.

Inside the building, crews practise navigating smoke-filled spaces and working through unfamiliar layouts, skills that can directly affect how they respond during emergencies.

“Small basements, small floor, here’s the layout, stairwells, kitchens, a couple bedrooms upstairs,” said Acting Capt. Jeremy Bertrand. “This is actually a layout we see in the community. There are other buildings set up very similarly, so you have to know how to move through the space. Muscle memory is the biggest thing in these.”

He says training in real buildings helps firefighters better understand the types of spaces they encounter in the community, and respond more effectively under pressure.

With demolition planned for later this month, crews are making the most of the building while they still can — taking advantage of a limited window to train in the space before redevelopment begins.

“The more opportunities we get to train in real buildings in the community, instead of just our own facilities, the more it helps us,” Bertrand said. “It makes us better as a team and as a whole, and the community gets a better department.”