Ala. Fire Truck Leased to Tech School to Give Firefighting Training to Students

July 27—ATHENS—A 1987 model open-cab fire engine leased to Limestone County Schools will help give high school students some practical experience in firefighter training.

The Athens City Council approved the lease of the truck at no charge to the school system for use at the Career Technical Center's Public Safety Academy.

"The students will get some practical experience you can't get sitting in a classroom," like learning to control the pressures on hose lines and taking care of the truck, said Athens Fire Chief Bryan Thornton. "It will give high school students a unique opportunity to get hands-on training that they wouldn't get until they're with a fire service in a pumper class.

"This also helps us in recruiting down the road."

The fire department will retain ownership of the truck and will be able to use the truck if needed, he said. Limestone County Schools will be responsible for any costs and maintenance.

Students will use the engine only at the tech center and at Leak City, a small-scale "city" on Sanderfer Road in Athens that serves as a training facility and features homes, streets, streetlights and natural gas pipelines.

The technical school's fire-science program allows students to complete training to be a certified volunteer firefighter, said Fire Science Instructor Brandon Wilson, who's also a firefighter/driver/EMT with Athens Fire and Rescue.

"Then, if they want a career as a firefighter, they would need to complete an additional 200 hours in a bridge program after graduation," Wilson said. Bridge programs are offered at the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa or at regional training facilities, he said.

Last year, the academy enrolled about 100 students in the firefighter, EMT and law enforcement programs, Wilson said. With the additional training equipment, "I think the numbers will be higher this year," he said.

Only three school districts in the state offer a public safety academy, said Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk, and he's aware of only one other school system that has a fire truck. "This can become a world-class program," he said.

The Decatur Daily, Ala.