The Statesboro Fire Department recently completed in-house training on atmospheric air monitoring during and after working fires, said Statesboro Fire Chief Tim Grams. The course, created and taught by SFD Captain Merritt Kearns, focused on the types of hazards that are present in the atmosphere when firefighters are actively working, the health risks that are associated with those hazards, and the best tactics to avoid coming into contact with them, he said. “Firefighters are bombarded with toxins when they fight fires,” Kearns said.