ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO (WTRF) — Live fire training is a must if you want to become an even better firefighter.
Belmont College wanted to show the community during an unveiling ceremony Wednesday morning that construction is complete on a new modernized construction.
They call it, their Live Burn Building.
According to Belmont College, there are currently very few approved burn building structures within a 10-county radius of Belmont County.
The college tells 7News that recent Ohio rule changes requiring NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) safety regulated and inspected burn buildings have left an empty space for this type of training in the region.
According to Vogelsang, there are other burn units in the area, but none as thorough as the fire program at Belmont College.
Their Live Burn Building will help with training firefighters through the college’s Firefighter and EMS First Responders Program.
Another added benefit, according to Belmont College, is that because the burn unit now sits on campus it will save students, who are taking the course, both travel time and money.
The new structure will provide students taking the course with live fire training for structure fires, flammable gas and flammable liquids.
In addition, students will receive confined space instruction along with search and rescue operations and rope rescue education.
These are the kind of training institutions that everybody wants and not everybody has. So, we’re really super excited to have one here. The closest ones are about 60 miles away and those are relatively new as well and before that we were driving to Columbus and Reynoldsburg for those kinds of buildings to use. So, we’re very excited to have this right here in our own county.
Ailsa Vogelsang, Belmont College Dir. of EMS & Fire
The Live Burn Building will also provide much needed training for law enforcement officers and local fire departments in the state.
And last but not least, students will receive forcible entry and tactical entry training with local law enforcement.
Vogelsang says the total cost of the project is around $1,000,000.
