Three fire agencies drill at Belvedere's Mallard Pointe complex through Oct. 12

Firefighters from the Tiburon Fire Protection District, the Southern Marin Fire Protection District and the Marin County Fire Department are training at the Mallard Pointe apartments in Belvedere through Oct. 12 before the complex is demolished.

Crews are simulating a full first-alarm response to a structure fire at the 1-22 Mallard Road site, with about 15 firefighters at each session, said Travis Terrell, the Tiburon district’s A-shift training battalion chief.

The drills include hose deployment, victim searches, interior fire attack and vertical ventilation — cutting openings in roofs to release heat and smoke. Fog machines stand in for smoke, and no live fire is used.

Training generally runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m., depending on call volume, with most drills ending earlier, Terrell said. The developer has fenced the site, so there is no public access.

Neighbors may see more fire engines and firefighters in the area, and the activity is not an emergency, the city said. Noise will be well below that of the daily construction nearby, Terrell said.

The developer gave the district a short window to train before Pacific Gas and Electric Co. shuts off the complex’s electric and gas service, he said.

“Access to structures for multiagency training in Marin County is extremely rare, and finding locations that accommodate a full first-alarm response rather than just one or two engines is even less common,” he said.

Belvedere issued a permit Oct. 1 to replace the complex’s lagoon bulkhead, which the city required before the developer could tear down the 22 apartments to make way for 40 homes.

— Kevin Hessel