Valley lawmaker gets fire-training safety experience

By Marc Kovac | May 16, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Smoke billowed down blackened hallways, zigzagging around several corners and offering ample evidence of a fire in progress.

At the front of the hose was state Rep. Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-63rd, pushing forward on his knees with a high-powered nozzle in hand while flames leapt across the ceiling.

A few well-aimed sprays later, the blaze was contained, and O’Brien and his five classmates, who maneuvered the heavy hose to prevent kinks, were on their way out. Then, they shifted positions and started the process all over again.

So started a special daylong training session this week at the Ohio Fire Academy, where O’Brien and 20 other state lawmakers, agency representatives and news reporters were given a taste of what it’s like to train to be firefighters.

Participants attempted to resuscitate a training manikin, used high-powered Jaws of Life tools to cut the doors and roof from a crashed vehicle, crawled around a dark, smoke-filled room looking for a fire victim and mostly extinguished a small building fire, all while dressed in full firefighter turnout gear and air tanks.

“We were in a very dangerous situation with heat and fire, but we really didn’t feel it because we had the gear on,” O’Brien said.

The “Ohio Fire Ops 101” classes are offered periodically by the state fire marshal’s office and the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters to help elected officials and others better understand what it takes to become a firefighter and maintain the skills needed to remain in the profession.

This month’s session took on an added significance, coming as lawmakers are considering a new biennial budget bill that includes funding for fire departments and emergency responders.

“We have decision-makers, we have reporters that report what we do on a daily basis,” said Mark Sanders, a Cincinnati fireman and president of the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters. “Our goal here today is to give you a better understanding of what firefighters do every day in your communities.”

Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Leaming added, “We really relish the opportunity to showcase our facility and to allow decision-makers such as yourselves to get a feel for what we do here. Hopefully, you’ll walk away with an appreciation of the facilities that we have but also what the firefighters have to go through as far as training and keeping your skills sharp throughout their career.”

The State Fire Academy, located in suburban Columbus, offers training sessions throughout the year. The 12,000 or so firefighters working in Ohio are required to take an initial 240-280 hours of basic training, then another 50-plus hours every three years to keep their skills up to date.

“It’s ongoing,” said Chris Weaver, a captain at the Youngstown Fire Department who has been a firefighter for 16 years.