On a blustery morning, in Dayton, Ohio, eight firefighters from around the country stand in front of a 20-foot concrete cylinder with the words "BELL TOWER" spray painted on the front. They're here for a search and rescue training course.

Instructor Grant Light holds up a blow torch. "You're going inside, and make a cut," he explains, gesturing to the concrete cylinder. "Confined space cutting."

A 6-foot-6-inch trainee from Virginia steps forward. "So, I'm going into the hole?" he asks, incredulously, pointing at a narrow-looking slot in the side of the tower. "Oh yeah!" says Light cheerfully.

The trainee looks dubiously at the opening, and then stoops over, wiggling, grunting and cursing under his breath as he squeezes into the darkness with the torch.

The goal of the exercise, and

See Full Page