JOHNSON CITY, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – The Johnson City Fire Department staged a controlled fire so people could learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher.

The JC Fire Department setup-controlled fires in the parking lot of the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage to train the staff how to put it out, if they ever have to.

The fire department contained the fire in a metal box, and every staff member took turns learning how to hold, aim, and use fire extinguishers.

The CEO of the Firehouse Stage, Naima Kradjian says that it’s important to learn proper safety protocols in a controlled setting, so that if the time comes, you don’t panic.

CEO of the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, Naima Kradjian says, “If you learn to do something in a calm environment and in a training, then it comes back to you in a time of stress and when there’s a problem where you might panic in that other situation. But, if you’ve done it once before, you’re going to be much more calm and better equipped.”

The staff was given a tutorial before trying it themselves.

The first step is to pull the pin, then aim the hose at the base of the fire, then from 6 to 10 feet away, squeeze the handle and make a sweeping motion.

Kradjian says that the Firehouse Stage has always had the proper equipment, but she never knew how to use it until today.