COLUMBIANA COUNTY Firefighting course targets future pros

Candidates who complete the class can apply for full-time jobs throughout Ohio.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- A 240-hour firefighting class for those interested in becoming full-time firefighters will begin Sept. 14 at the East Palestine Fire Department Clark Street station.
Fire Chief Brett Todd said that though the course is time-consuming and expensive, those who pass will be qualified to apply for full-time professional firefighter positions anywhere in Ohio.
Candidates must be at least 18 and must register through the Columbiana County Career Center in Lisbon. The cost is $800.
Schedules
Classes are scheduled each week from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and all day Saturdays until the 240 hours are completed.
Although individual departments have physical fitness requirements, there are no restrictions other than the minimum age for those wishing to take the course. Candidates who pass will find out about the physical requirements from the officers of the particular departments where they apply, he said.
Much of the course work is classroom discussion, but there are also practical skills training and testing such as techniques for approaching and entering a burning building, search and rescue, use of ladders, hoses and self-contained breathing apparatuses.
Todd said the course covers the basics of firefighting and much of the same information in the 36-hour basic firefighting course, which qualifies those who pass to be volunteer firefighters.
More depth
Todd said, however, that the training is much more in depth than the volunteers course and covers a lot of detail about the science of firefighting, including fire alarm and sprinkler systems, and fire inspection techniques.
Recently, for example, Todd and state fire inspectors took two days to test the hundreds of smoke detectors and fire alarms in the newly constructed areas of the East Palestine middle school and high school.
They will return in a few weeks to conduct a safety inspection at the school, looking for fire hazards such as cluttered areas, unsafe use of electrical equipment or overloaded electrical outlets or supplies stacked too high and too close to sprinkler systems, he added.
tullis@vindy.com