Campus trains technicians in fire safety
by Lauren Crider, nw news editor

    Six months ago the men and women who everyday risk their lives here at home might have been taken for granted. The United States is now painfully aware of the 300 firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and are more grateful for those who continue to protect us.

   People in this country can pick up a phone when they see flames from a building, smell smoke in their house or, recently, find a powdery substance in their mail.

   The NW Campus offers training at the fire academy and degrees in fire technology for those volunteering to help others and train as firefighters.

   The fire academy is conducted Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. over a 15-week period. Three classes a year are offered beginning in October, January and May. Night classes are also offered Monday and Thursday, 6-10:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

   Classes usually consist of no more than 25 students.

   Students begin the course with an orientation, where they learn that firefighting is a paramilitary organization. State requirements are also discussed.

   Bill Pearson, one of four campus coordinators and a full-time Fort Worth firefighter, said all the instruction is based on state certification.

   The next step is to become familiar with firefighting equipment.

   Students learn every aspect of the breathing apparatus, including the air pack.

   Once familiar with the equipment, they begin hands-on training. Students learn to handle hoses, ladders and other equipment carried on the truck, such as chain saws used to create ventilation.

   Students work with fire simulators in a building on campus, or even at DFW Airport. Construction for new fire academy facilities is underway at the NW Campus.

   In a required hydraulics class, students learn about water flow and pressure. In fire science, students use chemistry and other sciences to determine how fires start and act.

   When students successfully complete the course, they receive certificates from TCC. They must then take the state exams, consisting of written and performance tests.

   Pearson said students must illustrate proficiency in certain skills. They also must demonstrate how to do a daily inspection of their air packs and other equipment before use. They demonstrate they know how to use their air packs and other equipment, set ground ladders and inspect rescue equipment.

   The graduation rate is high, with more than 99 percent of students successfully completing the course, Pearson said.

   As of fall 2001, students can use the fire academy for 24 college credit hours, and then complete an internship at the end of the regular program.

   Students may then enter the fire technology program, which offers associate degrees in fire investigation technology or fire protection technology.

   Pearson said as a result of the Sept. 11 tragedy, firefighter training has changed slightly and may be affected even more in the future. Firefighters now face new obstacles such as terrorism and biological warfare.

   After the tragedy, teachers had to ask the classes if they knew what they were getting into.

   “We have to make sure they really want to do this,” Pearson said.

   Randy Parker, a campus coordinator and Fort Worth fire department captain, said classes on terrorism or weapons of mass destruction may possibly be added to the training.

   Pearson said the current faculty have recognized the need for terrorism instruction.

   “We’ve incorporated a little bit of that into it,” he said.

   Parker also has seen the impact of Sept. 11.

   “It has given us more insight into our job. We need to take it seriously. It’s given us a renewed sense of urgency and made us realize we really need to train people well,” he said.

   Many firefighters were personally affected by the tragedy.

   “It made me proud to do what I do. Those guys were just doing their job, trying to make a bad situation better,” Pearson said.

   Parker agrees.

   “We take each call a little more seriously,” he said.

   With the exception of Sept. 11, studies show that an average of 100 firefighters are killed each year.

   Pearson put the risks into perspective.

   “One firefighter getting killed is just as tragic as 300. It doesn’t matter if you die with 300 other guys or just by yourself. You’re still dead. Your wife is still without you,” he said.

   According to Parker, along with the threat of terrorism, firefighters are facing a new threat from biological warfare and Anthrax.

   “We’ve started making more calls about powdery substances,” he said.

   Each semester, more students complete the course and go to cities around Texas to fight fires, Pearson said.

   “It’s an awesome responsibility. We just want to make sure they can do the job,” he said.