By By Lydia Grimes
Volunteer firefighters throughout the county were afforded the opportunity to receive some beneficial fire training this week at the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ newly opened Fire Station No. 2.
With the help of the Alabama Fire College and its more than $600,000 investment, firefighters were able to get some high-tech training. The Alabama Fire College has purchased training simulation, which consists of the training truck and a trailer to give volunteer fire fighters some additional training in a controlled environment.
Chris McGhee of the Poarch Creek Fire Depart is the only firefighter in the county who is trained to operator the equipment.
"The Alabama Fire College has purchased the equipment and it is touring all over Alabama," McGhee said. "It is aimed toward the volunteer firefighters because many of them have not gone to the Fire College for this type of training. This trailer shows that the Alabama Fire College is committed to firefighters around Alabama. It is a very instrumental tool to the fire department. The public can know that the state is stepping up to get better equipment to train those who volunteer their time. Many of them have never had this type of training before and it is a lot better to learn with a controlled burn rather than a real one."
The trailer has movable walls inside, which lets the trainer set up any number of options for doors and windows. They train for fire and smoke and for search and rescue.
Ronnie Jackson, who is the Fire Chief of Poarch Creek Indian Fire Station No. 2, said this is a good way to train firefighters.
"This is a good thing throughout the county," Jackson said. "The volunteers will learn what to do and know how to respond to different types of fires."
Members of the local volunteer fire departments have had the opportunity to bring their members in to get this rare opportunity.
Joey Moffitt, president of the Escambia County Firefighters Association, said that this is a wonderful piece of equipment.
"This is a wonderful piece of equipment," Moffitt said. "You can do all sorts of training with it. It is able to simulate conditions for search and rescue as well as a single story fire attack, two story fire attack, forceable entry and ventilation. All of this is done in a controlled environment, which makes it safer for the firefighters."