FIREFIGHTERS Trainees to practice at planned building fire

The center has offered firefighter training for more than 15 years.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The smoke and flames at the Canfield Fairgrounds Saturday won't be cause for concern.
The members of a firefighter training course at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center will douse the blaze as a part of their school work.
Andrew Frost, Austintown fire chief and the lead instructor of the class, said the fair board donated the 5,000-square-foot building, next to the old maintenance building, for the students who are part-time firefighters with the Cardinal Joint Fire District.
Part of the requirements for the 84-hour class is a live burn, Frost said. A firefighter course has been part of the school's adult curriculum for at least 15 years.
The class is state-certified and the school tracks all of the elements included and does the testing of students required for certification, said Kathy Schlarb, interim director of adult education at MCCTC.
Course objectives
The 84-hour course includes training in auto extraction, CPR, Emergency Medical Service and hazardous materials.
To complete the course, a firefighter has to climb down a ladder carrying another firefighter both cradled in his arms and slung over his shoulder.
A building on the MCCTC campus is equipped with an artificial ceiling and roof so firefighters can practice knocking holes in the building to look for flames.
"We cover a lot of material," Frost said.
The students also have traveled to Myers Equipment where the owner lighted two buses on fire so they could practice cutting into them.
"Our classes have a pass rate as high as most any in the state," Schlarb said.
"And we're proud of that," Frost said.
The school will host an open house at 6 p.m. May 26 for people interested in any type of career training or retraining, Schlarb said. The school may be reached at (330) 729-4100.