The four-year fire science program at Lake Superior State University (LSSU), like many of its counterparts, faces budgetary concerns that require some creative thinking for training. Lake Superior State University, in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, partners as a designated regional training center with fire departments in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula (EUP). Students of LSSU have trained with the City of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department and the Bay Mills Township, Soo Township and Dafter volunteer fire departments, most of which are also experiencing budgetary crunches.
As a regional training site, LSSU offers training for the neighboring departments while benefiting LSSU students. The city fire department, for example, provides apparatus and expertise for training exercises with LSSU students, and with the guidance of Chief Ken Eagle, the city fire department has become a valuable asset to the success of LSSU's hands-on exercises. In addition, the city offers LSSU students the opportunity for ride-alongs and internships; LSSU students reciprocate by performing pre-planning for the city (as part of class requirements) and fire prevention education for children. Many LSSU students join the ranks of the volunteer departments and have become members of the county hazmat team.
Both examples illustrate that LSSU and the paid and volunteer fire departments do more than partner for training. The interoperability between the EUP fire department(s) and the University is one that benefits all: full-time, volunteer and pre-service firefighters. Whether the training revolves around hands-on exercises, computer-based simulations or classroom didactics, the interoperability of the Eastern Upper Peninsula is getting stronger as the years pass.
On March 15, 2008, LSSU, Bay Mills Community College and the Bay Mills Township Fire Department (BMTFD) practiced this interoperability at an old ski lodge that was scheduled to be demolished. The opportunity to practice this cooperation originated from the donation of the property by Bay Mills Community College and the logistical efforts of Captain Ray Baker of the BMTFD. After nearly two months of organization, the training started on a brisk, windy day at 8 A.M. and continued until 4:30 P.M. The participants in the training included 13 firefighters from BMTFD and 20 pre-service students, six teaching assistants and three professors from LSSU.
The Lake State students, working on their certifications for Michigan Firefighter I and II, left their textbooks in their rooms, bunkered-up and practiced with the tools of the trade. Side by side with the volunteer firefighters from Bay Mills, the pre-service students from LSSU practiced their skills in search and rescue, firefighter disorientation, ladder work, pump evolutions, hoseline advancement, small engines, and rope work. While the pre-service students practiced the trade, the Bay Mills firefighters worked to refresh the "old-timers" and encourage the newest members. Safety was the key word of the day; the training not only followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the BMTFD, but the Incident Management System (IMS). The reasons are twofold: LSSU students and Bay Mills firefighters became familiar with or reinforced the operation of one particular fire department while training to the requirements of the Michigan Firefighters Training Council (MFFTC); and LSSU students and Bay Mills firefighters practiced first hand the intricacies of the IMS.
Following the operating procedures of BMTFD, promoting the importance of fireground safety, all firefighters and instructors on the training site were required to wear full turnout gear. Since safety was the greatest concern, many parts of the lodge were blocked from training. The preparation was done a few days before training day and aided in making the training day operate smoothly. The greatest concerns were the boiler room that had asbestos insulation, the metal framework of dropdown ceilings, boards with nails, trip hazards, and the slippery conditions from ice and snow.
BMTFD's operating procedures also guided the arrangement of the training sessions. The training consisted of five stations: water/pump evolutions, search and rescue/firefighter disorientation, ladder work, forcible entry, hoseline advancement and small engines. Each station represented some of the 13 stations the pre-service students are tested on by the MFFTC for their Firefighter I and II certifications. Between the stations, when the students were waiting for the next station to open, the students and firefighters practiced knot tying - another tested station for certification.
The entire training site was utilized to accomplish the stations: water/pump evolutions were practiced in a maintenance barn; small engines and lighting was practiced in the lobby of the lodge; search and rescue/firefighter disorientation was practiced on the second floor of the lodge that housed some guest rooms; the first-floor guest rooms were used for forcible entry (30 doors were available for practicing entry); and the south-end exterior was used for ladder work, further utilized for advancing hoselines up a ladder and attacking fire.
Instructor and student alike practiced the IMS. Baker was the liaison with the media - invited to document the training - illustrating the importance of public relations. The other professors/instructors were division, group and sector officers; guiding the students through their evolutions and correcting their mistakes, the instructors were able to have one-on-one time with each respective trainee. This is especially true as each company crew, consisting of pre-service students and firefighters, fell well within the span of control (three to seven firefighters per instructor). More senior students alternated turns at being either the safety officer or operations officer.
Communication procedures were also practiced. Each instructor and company crew had a radio, in which everyone was required to check in with the operations officer for arrival or completion of a certain training section. Unlike many firegrounds, the communications for the day went smoothly, thanks to the help of Assistant Chief Ralph Wilcox, who cleared a frequency for the training.
What was learned from this experience? It was not too difficult a logistical challenge to meet the requirements of the sponsoring organization: there was to be no burning, no breaking of glass or entry ways on the first floor (security issues), and no excessive damage to the interior or exterior walls. (All three of these requirements fell within the safety guidelines set by the instructors.) More challenging was to get volunteers to help prepare the site for training; the greatest difficulty was getting everyone to agree on a time to clear debris, shovel snow and remove ice.
While instructors and participants were briefed on the events of the day, there was also a constant worry that there would be too much down-time. The goal was to keep the participants as busy as possible, and even though this was combated with having students practice knots, students could only practice for so long before boredom reached a certain level. Fortunately, the stations were moving smooth enough that boredom was kept to a minimum. Finally, it was learned that university and community-based interoperability can easily expand into areas.
One area that particularly caught my attention is in public relations. Imagine pre-service students and practicing firefighters coming together to raise money for well-deserved, non-profit organizations; pre-planning, fire prevention and community-based awareness are all areas in which pre-service student and firefighter can work together.
In short, the March 15, 2008, interoperable training between LSSU, Bay Mills Community College and Bay Mills Township Fire Department (BMTFD) was a success. It was a good example of organizations coming together for a common goal, to help both community and institutions of higher learning. Without this type of cooperation, LSSU students and the firefighters from the local fire departments would miss a great asset in training; not only in practicing the trade but in working with firefighters from different departments who may be called as mutual aid.
JAMES J. SCHAEFER, PH.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice and Fire Science at Lake Superior State University. He holds a doctorate and a master of arts degree in history from the University of Toledo and a bachelor of science degree in fire science from Lake Superior State. Dr. Schaefer is certified as Michigan Firefighter I and II and is a Certified Terrorism Awareness and Prevention Instructor and a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
