By Katie Kuba
Honorary Upshur County Fire Marshal/The Record Delta Staff Writer
A longstanding gap between West Virginia firefighters and the public they serve was bridged this spring when 17 Upshur County residents graduated from the state’s first ever citizens’ firefighter academy.
The Upshur County Citizens Firefighter Academy is a groundbreaking 10-week program that familiarizes local residents with the duties of rural volunteer and career firefighters in north-central West Virginia.
Coordinated through West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, the pilot project was a joint endeavor between the college, local governmental institutions, the seven volunteer fire departments in the county and the Upshur County Firefighters Association.
Starting in March, Upshur County participants converged at one of the county departments for one three-hour class each week. The course combined interactive classroom seminars with on-the-ground, hands-on experience.
Watchful eyes
Residents suited up in full turnout gear, strapped on self-contained breathing apparatuses, wielded hydraulic-powered vehicle extrication tools and practiced CPR techniques — all under the watchful eyes of experienced firefighters.
Members were even afforded the opportunity to peer inside the West Virginia University Fire Extension Service’s mobile fire training unit as Buckhannon Fire Department firefighters completed training inside simulated smoke.
Attendees also studied fire science and search-and-rescue tactics; the unique history characterizing each department, learning, for example, what distinguishes a fire company from a fire department; the financial challenges rural departments tussle with; and the effect department proximity has on homeowners’ insurance rates.
Graduates earned 2.7 hours of continuing education credit through Wesleyan’s Office of Extended Learning and the title of Honorary Upshur County Fire Marshal. In assuming the honorary fire marshal title, participants committed to working to advance fire service interests in the community.
In part, the firefighters’ academy already did that by paving the way for the birth of the Upshur County Firefighter Scholarship. Beginning with the fall 2011 semester, Wesleyan College will award one dependant of an Upshur County volunteer firefighter or EMS professional a four-year half-direct costs scholarship to attend Wesleyan.
Only available to Upshur County residents this year, the scholarship will debut on a statewide stage in 2012.
Opened up dialogue
The class opened up a dialogue between residents and firefighters that had previously been blockaded, said David Taylor, the coordinator of the academy and director of extended learning at Wesleyan.
“West Virginia Wesleyan College became partners with the true heroes in this county and together, we put together a program that resulted in a better and mutually respective relationship between Upshur County firefighters and the county’s citizens whom they serve,” Taylor said.
Reflecting on the course’s impact several months after its conclusion, Banks District Fire Chief Gary Bonnett, who teamed with Taylor to organize the academy, said knowledge and understanding sprouted out of the initiative.
“The citizens that took the class were really well-informed about what goes on in the fire service,” Chief Bonnett said. “It enlightened them on things they were not aware of. People liked knowing what is actually going on in their community.”
Plans to expand the seminar in 2012 are already in the works: next time around, participants will learn about wildland firefighting and delve deeper into search-and-rescue strategies in a variety of environments.
“I am very much looking forward to next year’s program and am willing to work even harder than I did last year to make it a bigger success,” Taylor said.
Visit www.wvwc.edu/extendedlearning and click on “UCCFA” to learn more about the academy.