Hundreds of firefighters, some from as far away as Australia, are in Michiana this week. They've converged on Notre Dame, where they'll be learning and sharing new ideas about fighting fires in the modern world.
Firefighters have developed new ways to stay safe because of changes in construction. Experts at the conference say many developers have shifted from building "legacy homes" to more "light weight" construction. Firefighters say that presents new challenges.
"We're letting everybody know what they need to do to keep themselves safe when they're in those hazard zones, with those kinds of materials, and how to manage all of that, how to have appropriate risk management, and how to keep everybody coming home safe from the fire department," says Clay Fire Territory Chief John Vance.
The three day conference began Monday.
