Honing Skills

Local News

Related Photos

From left: David Sanders, Clarkdale VFD; Bryant Reynolds, Long Creek VFD; Ivan Davis, Long Creek VFD; Floyd Hurt, Alamucha VFD; and Allan Dover, assistant fire coordinator and training officer for Lauderdale County, deploy a dump tank during a recent training course made possible through a partnership with MCC’s workforce division. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Discussion

February 9, 2010

VFDs receive additional training through MCC

from staff reports CNHI The Meridian Star Tue Feb 09, 2010, 08:30 AM CST

MERIDIAN —

    The men and women who make up Lauderdale County's volunteer fire departments all have one thing in common – the desire to protect and serve their community.

     Of course these volunteers don't get paid for their service, and although some are retired, there are many, like Bo Land from the Martin community, who work full-time and have a family.

     That means volunteer fire department members must train nights and weekends.

     According to Allan Dover, assistant fire coordinator and training officer for Lauderdale County, funds for training were tight this year due to the economy and budget cuts, until Randy Barrett, a workforce project manager with Meridian Community College gave him a call.

     "On an average year, we will offer anywhere between 250 and 300 hours that are available to the volunteers to train," said Dover. "Some of that is for certifications such as Volunteer Firefighter Level I and Level II and other training such as Hazardous Materials."

     "Working with MCC will allow additional training in elective courses that the volunteers need in order to continue with their professional development as fire fighters. We wouldn’t have been able to offer these courses without the college."

     The funds, available through the State Board for Community and Junior College (SBCJC) in accordance with the Workforce Education Project policies, will pay for Dover’s salary for the evening and weekend classes.

     Before choosing what courses to offer, Dover approached the 16 volunteer departments in Lauderdale County and the municipal volunteer fire department in Marion to get a consensus of what training they wanted. From there he worked up a training schedule and submitted it to Barrett at MCC.

     The training kicked off in January with a VFIS driving school followed by pump operations.

     "We first did the driver section of the course, 16 hours of emergency vehicle operations," noted Dover. "Then we did the pump operator side of it, which we gave them the basic principles of how to properly maintain and operate a pump. I took the two hardest skills that there were involved in pump operations and offered one skill on a Thursday evening at Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department. The second skill, how to pump off a hydrant, took place at the Lauderdale County Training facility on a Saturday morning."

     "The operators that came out of this class," said Dover, "are not going to be certified to pump but they are getting the skills. And at the end of the day, that's what it's about. Knowing how to do the job safely is more important than having a certificate on the wall."

     Additional training courses, which started this month and will continue through April include Hybrid Vehicles Emergencies, Vehicle Extrication, and Meth Lab Recognition and First Responder Safety.

     Excited about this new partnership between Lauderdale County Volunteer Fire Departments and MCC, Dover said he hopes more funds will be available later in the year for other training that is needed.

Text Only

Local News

Voters face Saturday deadline
February 10, 2012
Site of sub commissioning changed
February 10, 2012
Dulaneys to reign over 2012 Meridian Mardi Gras Weekend
February 10, 2012
Local law enforcement officials honored
State Rep. Greg Snowden said he remembered as a child looking up to those "men in blue."
He said police officers in uniform were larger than life, riding in their patrol cars and carrying guns to protect and serve the population. Today, he said he is still in great admiration of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day so that citizens can feel safe.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
MPD probes vehicle crash
Evidence of a mother's desperate attempt to save her children from harm were spread all over a car lot — and could be seen on her as well in the form of bruises, cuts and scrapes.
Tuesday night, a vehicle with three children inside crashed through a plate glass showroom floor window damaging four new cars and totaling the vehicle the children were in.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
Skeleton found in residence
Members of the forensics team of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) were called to a dilapidated home in Chunky to probe the discovery of a skeleton.

February 9, 2012
Police search for robbery suspects
Two men who reportedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank are still being sought.
Mike Vick, public information officer with the Meridian Police Department, said the two men approached a woman about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the ATM of Regions Bank on North Hills Street. Vick said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun and after taking an undetermined amount of cash and the victim's car keys, the two suspects fled on foot.

February 9, 2012
City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday.

February 8, 2012
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits.

February 8, 2012
Team Spirit
February 8, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Honing Skills

VFDs receive additional training through MCC

Site Map

Contact Us