FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – The Fort Wayne Fire Department (FWFD) and Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) will partner this week to conduct training for underground, enclosed spaces.

The goal of the joint training is to better prepare to seamlessly respond to an emergency situation in an I&M enclosed space, and to exchange protocols and practices in underground vaults and manholes.

I&M has nearly 400 underground structures in downtown Fort Wayne that house electrical equipment, and employees require annual training and enclosed-space re-certification, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid.

Training will take place Thursday, September 7 off Barr Street behind the Auer Center for Arts and Culture. A simulation involving a vault rescue will begin around 10:15 a.m.

“Indiana Michigan Power and the Fort Wayne Fire Department share a commitment to working safely,” said Tom Kratt, I&M Vice President of Distribution Operations in a press release. “Our No. 1 goal is to prevent any possible situation that would involve a potential injury. But we also make sure that I&M and the appropriate public safety agencies are prepared to properly respond to those situations.”