A few state lawmakers have a much better idea of what firefighters go through.
On Monday, they climbed dark stairways and crawled through smoke-filled rooms as part of Fire Ops 101 training.
Representative Tom Barrett of Eaton County said the most-interesting and most-difficult part of the training was the equipment they had to wear.
"You're wearing a mask and you have the air tank on your back and you're breathing through the air tank while you're feeling around the room on your hands and knees looking for victims inside that you can hopefully evacuate safely."
The training was familiar territory to one of the lawmakers. Representative Tom Cochran of Ingham County is a former Lansing Fire Chief. He was with the department for nearly 30 years.
