VIDEO and SLIDESHOW: Fire School

Multimedia

Related Photos

Discussion

September 7, 2008

Anonymous The Meadville Tribune Sun Sep 07, 2008, 10:56 PM EDT

Crawford Venango Fire School from The Meadville Tribune on Vimeo.

Click image for slideshow

By Ryan Smith

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

COCHRANTON — Black smoke billowed skyward, visible blocks away from the burning structure.

On scene, the blazing inferno fed hungrily off of what was left of the house, finally causing it to collapse in a massive heap.

“Get on this line over here,” directed Chip Chiappazzi, chief of Harborcreek Volunteer Fire Department, to a group of young firefighters standing on alert near the hose.

When it comes to training firefighters, there’s nothing like the real thing. And the structural burn course at Sunday’s Crawford - Venango Counties Fire School offered just that.

Chiappazzi, one of the state’s fire instructors for the school, said 26 students from seven different fire departments around the region participated in the course, part of the two-day annual school. Now in its 47th year, the school was attended by more than 200 firefighters taking a wide range of courses on topics including automotive extrication, gas and oil well emergencies, vehicle operations and fire investigations.

Many of those courses take firefighters above and beyond their required 188 hours of essential training, said Chiappazzi.

Those involved in the structural burn course at a donated vacant house in Cochranton were taken out of the classroom to get a first-hand, up-close lesson in what it takes to safely and effectively extinguish a blaze.

During the course, instructors set dozens of controlled burns to replicate situations that happen in real structure fires. Students are separated into teams that are tasked with duties including controlling hoses, entering the structure with thermal imaging cameras to check for hot-spots, overseeing safety and providing additional equipment and assistance when needed.

Many of the students are relative newcomers to firefighting, while others are longtime veterans looking to offer their experience.

Keeping longtime firefighters’ skills honed and getting the next generation of firefighters prepared is what the school’s all about, according to the its organizers and instructors.

Fourteen-year-olds Kaytlyn Moore and Jamie Jones, both junior members of Cochranton Volunteer Fire Department, are still too young to actively battle fires, but attended Sunday’s course to take in the lessons and get some extra training on equipment operations.

Firefighting “is really interesting,” said Moore. “You can save people’s lives.”

Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com

Did you know?

Pennsylvania’s approximately 2,400 volunteer fire and ambulance services are more than that of any other state, according to the state Governor’s Office on Community Affairs and Development. But there’s only about 70,000 active volunteers serving today, as compared to roughly 300,000 in 1970. To find out how you can get involved as a volunteer, contact your local fire department.

Text Only

Multimedia

SLIDESHOW: Giants beat Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI The New York Giants won their fourth NFL championship Sunday in Indianapolis, scoring in the final minute to defeat New England 21-17.
February 6, 2012 1 Photo
VIDEO: NFL Experience a hit with Super Bowl fans
The NFL's interactive theme park pre-sold more than 65,000 tickets for Super Bowl week and has become the destination of choice for visitors to Indianapolis.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
Sneak peek at this year's hottest Super Bowl ads
The Super Bowl is a must-watch TV event, if not for the outcome of the biggest football game of the year, then at least for the multi-million dollar commercials that run throughout. And this year’s buzzworthy spots include celebrity appearances, homages to movies and lots of humor.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
VIDEO: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction
More than 18,000 people descended on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney for the annual Groundhog Day celebration.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
SLIDESHOW: Madonna hypes Super Bowl halftime show Madonna answers questions from the media during a news conference to hype the halftime show for Super Bowl XLVI.
February 3, 2012
VIDEO: Social media command center helps Super Bowl visitors
Indianapolis is the first Super Bowl host city to utilize the power of Twitter and other social media to help football fans get the most out of football's biggest event.

February 2, 2012 1 Photo
SLIDESHOW: Super Bowl by the numbers The nation's biggest sporting event produces some staggering statistics, from the number of chicken wings consumed -- 1.25 billion -- to the amount of money some people plan to bet on the game.
February 2, 2012
SLIDESHOW: Super Bowl Media Day Thousands of fans and members of the press turned out in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI Media Day.
February 1, 2012
VIDEO: Tavern in Colts country welcomes Pats fans
The Super Bowl host city loves its Colts and loves to hate the archrival Patriots. But a bar on the doorstep of Lucas Oil Stadium stands out as a geographic anomaly.

February 1, 2012 1 Photo
Joe Paterno: A life in pictures Joe Paterno, college football's winningest coach and a sporting icon, has died at age 85. His legacy includes two national championships and a football program of "success with honor," but the end of his career was marred by his handling of a sex abuse allegations against his former assistant coach. (All photos are from the Associated Press.)
January 23, 2012
More Multimedia Headlines

Mitt Romney has surged to major campaign wins in recent weeks. If he is the GOP candidate for president:

Multimedia

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

VIDEO and SLIDESHOW: Fire School

Mitt Romney has surged to major campaign wins in recent weeks. If he is the GOP candidate for president:

Site Map

Contact Us