MAHOMET, Ill. (WAND)--Â Mahomet Fire Department has 1 of 6 Mobile Ventilation Units in all of Illinois.
Capt. David Parsens says the reason there are only six units in all of Illinois is because of their price. The ventilation is used to clear out heavy smoke from large buildings. Buildings, houses, garages and other structures just keep getting bigger and bigger.
It is becoming difficult to remove smoke from the perimeter.
"Now the other thing it could do is you could stick a water hose on it and so if you're at an event and it's really really hot there's times they might say - like fire college in Champaign - can we use this for the weekend? And it's used as a cooling tool too," Parsens said.
Most fires take hours upon hours to remove the smoke, but this tool only takes a matter of minutes to clear out. It has made things easier for not only the fire crews, but it has also saved the lives of many people who might be at risk of smoke inhalation.
As of now, the Mobile Ventilation Unit has only been used once in Champaign for a smoke incident, but has been used for crews and events on hot days.
