Firefighters Plan 2nd Training Weekend

Area firefighters plan to do various rescue drills this Saturday at several locations, including Napa Pipe, Skyline Park and downtown Napa's Fifth Street parking garage.

It will be the second weekend of training drills for firefighting groups, including CalFire/Napa County and fire departments in Napa, American Canyon and St. Helena.

This past weekend was the first training drill -- and it did raise a few eyebrows. At least one person snapped a photo of a training dummy hanging in the Napa parking garage on Saturday and posted it on Facebook.

"I just thought it was fun," said Sonyia Grabski, the photographer.

Grabski's friend Joanna Waechtler said she was initially concerned because it looked like the mannequin had a rope around its neck. She said later she was relieved to find that was not the case.

Napa Fire Capt. Pat Walmsley said the dummy was wearing a harness -- not a noose as Waechtler and others had initially thought.

"We had three different rescue groups rescuing that dummy," Walmsley said. "He was supposed to simulate someone caught hanging from the side of a building, like a painter or construction worker."

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