For 14 new firefighters with the Lincoln Fire and Rescue Department, though, it was only a drill when they took to the training tower facility in St. Catharines last month.

Hired in April, the new recruits, 13 men and one woman, have been busy training to become full-fledged members of the department. Deputy Chief Greg Hudson says each of the four stations in Lincoln -- Vineland, Beamsville, Jordan and Campden -- have some of the new personnel, who have been working hard to get up to speed.

"We have a pretty intensive recruit program," said Hudson, noting firefighters have to log about 165 hours in the first year alone.

With a strong majority of calls for the department coming from medical issues, firefighters are quickly brought online with training for medical response, such as first aid, CPR and defibrillation.

"That gives us a good pool of people to respond to the majority of the calls we get," said Hudson.

There is a mixture of classroom work, including theory exercises, and practical drills.

When it comes to fires, though, the recruits are put to the test and evaluated at the St. Catharines training tower before they can fly right into action for actual calls. The recruits recently spent two days at the tower, learning about live fire and techniques of attack on the first day, then fighting a live fire and practicing search and rescue techniques the next day, all under the watchful eye of experienced firefighters. Even the basics, such as laying hose and erecting ladders, were reviewed.

"The training tower exercise was the culmination of their live fire training," said Hudson. "It really puts together a lot of the classroom and a lot of practical aspects they learn."

The experienced firefighters, in addition to assisting the recruits when need be, evaluated the new firefighters on safety and techniques. Hudson said generally the results were positive.

"It's gratifying to see how well they took to it," he said. "Everything gelled and came together and they did a good job."

The recruits are now able to attend live fire calls, but they will also continue training on other areas, too, such as auto accidents, hazardous materials responses, water rescues and more. Their probation will end after one year, but they must complete a final exam - both written and practical.

Once they are all fully brought on stream, Hudson said the new firefighters will help bolster the department.

"We were down 14 firefighters and you notice that when you go on a response," he said. "This helps us better serve our community."