WOODSTOCK – A training exercise brought out firefighters from five area departments Wednesday to rescue a man-sized mannequin from tight quarters.

Woodstock Fire Rescue hosted confined-space training for about 13 firefighters from Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, Long Grove, and Pleasant Prairie, Wis. The departments are part of MABAS – Mutual Aid Box Alarm System – Division 4 in Lake County and Division 5 in McHenry County.

The firefighters of the Specialized Rescue Team found themselves hooked to safety harnesses and dropped below ground at a Woodstock pump station in front of Centegra Hospital – Woodstock to gain firsthand experience in underground and small-space rescues. The team brought all the necessary equipment, including
a generator, meter reader, a system of pulleys, carabiners, brightly colored ropes and more. A 160- to 180-pound mustachioed mannequin, whom the Woodstock department call “Pat,” played the role of victim.