MFD Teams With Xcel Energy For Emergency Training

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis Fire Department wants to be ready in case of an emergency -- and they're not talking solely about fires.

Fire crews teamed up with Xcel Energy to simulate an underground emergency in a tight space.

The drill is designed to train workers how to perform a rescue in spaces such as electrical vaults and manhole shafts, areas that Xcel Energy employees often work within.

"Downtown you have everything from a 50-story building to vaults and storm sewers that are over 100 feet below the surface," Minneapolis Fire Department deputy chief of training JR Klepp said. "So any training with any of these, in all of these scenarios, benefits the Minneapolis Fire Department and the utility companies."

Crews also reviewed the physical, environmental and mechanical hazards involved with underground emergencies.