City officials took part in hands-on firefighter demonstration to see on-duty risks and equipment needs

A fire department spokesperson said city council members, civil service commissioners and other city administrators attended a department demonstration to observe training and equipment firsthand. "We invited the city council. We invited, the civil service, commission, and we invited other administration from the city. And what we're showing them today is just a glimpse of what we do," the spokesperson said. "We're gonna show them how to put on gear, how we extricate people from the actual buildings, how we go into a fire, and what are we exposed to, either carcinogens and and the heat and everything."

The spokesperson said the exercise was intended to give elected officials and commissioners experiential context ahead of budget discussions: "The goals…