 Bringing the Fire to the People…
Volunteer firefighters need training. But Montana's a big place, and traveling to a training center can be very costly. So, MSU Extension's Fire Services Training School in Great Falls has developed a successful strategy: If you can't bring a firefighter to a fire, bring the fire to the firefighters. FSTS is the state-level agency charged with providing professional development for community fire and rescue services. The school serves all of Montana's fire departments, which includes approximately 10,000 members, 96 percent of whom are volunteers. The school conducts most training using a fleet of trailers that travel to remote communities, enabling local firefighters to gain hands-on skills without leaving home. "Our focus, like all of Extension, is outreach," says FSTS Director Butch Weedon. "We take the training to communities all over Montana." Trainers travel more than 90,000 miles each year to deliver over 2,000 hours of instruction. "Fire fighting is dirty, demanding, dangerous work. It's not conducive to classroom settings," says Weedon. "It's a lot like swimming. It takes lots of realistic practice to master. What someone knows is of much less value than what someone can actually do at an incident." Each trailer used for training has its own function. The oldest is a smoke maze, consisting of an obstacle course in which each firefighter trains in a zero-visibility environment while wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. This claustrophobic prop circulates between fire departments, where local trainers instruct volunteers. The newest training trailer is an old missile transport modified to look like a residence--only this residence has metal walls and steel girders in the ceiling, and is designed to be lit on fire over and over again. "We will train the fire fighters on how to search for victims and attack and ventilate real fires with this prop," says Weedon. "It should debut this spring and we expect demand to force additional copies." Another trailer demonstrates how fire sprinkler systems save lives. The trailer is set on fire with people inside. Then, just like in real homes equipped with sprinklers, the life-saving device activates and extinguishes the fire. There are always controls so that people can escape without harm. "We also have a flammable gases trailer," says Weedon. "It consists of a series of realistic props which burn propane (a gas responsible for many fire fighter deaths over the years). We set them up, ignite them, and have the fire fighters respond and handle the live fire emergency (of course after a little training). Very spectacular at night!" Rounding out the fleet are four trailers equipped with rescue equipment that FSTS trainers can take them to communities to teach all levels of rescue skills. FSTS has full-time trainers in Bozeman and Missoula, and part-time trainers in Great Falls, Billings, Miles City and Kalispell. For additional information contact: Fire Services Training; 2100 16th Avenue South; P.O. Box 6010; Great Falls, Montana 59406-6010. Phone: (406) 761-7885. Fax: (406) 771-4317. FSTS Homepage: http://www.montana.edu/wwwfire/
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