Burning down the house

A fire cadet leapt off the top of the drill tower and rode a rope toward a crowd of spectators at the Austin Community College Fire Training Academy Open House.  Meanwhile, another cadet secured himself to a victim impersonator and simulated a rescue as he repelled straight down the tower. Then, a simulation house beside the tower burst into flames. Two fire trucks pulled up to the house and the remaining cadets jumped out and started fighting the blaze.

Working in two teams, one group of cadets battled the flames while the others set up ventilation and began a search and rescue operation. By forming a master stream of water between the house and the tower, the cadets were able to contain the fire and keep it from spreading.

Through ventilation, other cadets achieved visibility within the house.  Upon entry into the flaming building, the cadets found mannequin victims.  They could choose to either carry the fake victims out a window and down a ladder or out the main stairwell. One by one the cadets exited the flame engulfed building, rescuing the prop bodies, and wrapping up their 17 week training at the academy.

The Fire Training Academy Open House, which took place on Dec. 2, celebrated the move of the academy from a few different locations, the main building being in Taylor, to one location in Austin.

"This is a training facility all in one spot," ACC President Stephen Kinslow said. "It has allowed us to expand our cadet program."

The open house included speeches by people closely associated with the program, a live fire fighting demonstration, and a tour of the three ACC buildings on the site. The site is located on the same training grounds that the Austin city fire academy uses.

Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, who served as an Austin firefighter for 13 years and was president of the Austin Firefighters Association in 2003,  promised that the academy would benefit the community.

"This is truly the vision that many folks have," Martinez said, "that this facility will not just be for the fire department, but for the community. This is just the beginning." 
Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr explained how the new facility would improve fire fighting in Austin.

"What's really important," Kerr said, "is that the better trained our officers are, the better service they will be able to provide."

The Taylor location was too far from ACC's support system, Paul Menches, Chair of the Fire Protection Technology Department at ACC, said. He explained that the new location would be tied in with the Riverside Campus.

"Now that we're under a campus system, it's going to be a lot easier to do," Menches said.

ACC benefits will include security checks, maintenance, janitorial work, councilors, advisors, and anything that an ACC campus has, Menches said.

Media Relations Coordinator Alexis Patterson explained that the new location would better an already well working academy.

"This enhances the training we offer," Patterson said. "The cadets are sought after already, and this will just enhance it more."

ACC student Ben Castro was interested in attending the open house after seeing it advertised on the school Web site.  He was impressed with the new facility.

"It's definitely going to help the training that these guys need," Castro said.

Captain Mike Williams, Cadet Coordinator and ACC instructor, explained that the cadets used to travel miles from one training spot to another.

"It is very convenient to have the classroom and the drill field on the same site," Williams said.

Fire cadet Frank Dean has enjoyed the new facility during his 17 week training. 

"It's nice to use AFD's facility," Dean said. "The classroom is great; they've got laptops for each of us."

Dean was part of the forcible entry team during the demonstration. The three cadets in his team knocked down the door on the burning simulation house.

The open house included a tour of the three buildings used on the site including a classroom with 48 laptops on display an administrative building with a library where the cadets can study and, a maintenance building where the cadet's gear is washed and dried, and a compressor room where they store tanks. 

Kinslow pointed out the impact that ACC has on the safety of Austin.

"We're extremely proud to be the primary trainer of emergency response workers," Kinslow said.  "All the folks we rely on to keep us healthy and safe come out of ACC."