/

State training facility comes to Foster Tech

2 mins read
Students at Foster Tech and Mid-Maine Tech practice putting out a simulated fire in the Live Burn Trailer provided by the Maine Fire Training Institute.

FARMINGTON – Students in the firefighting program at Foster Career and Technical Education Center had the opportunity recently to practice their skills in a real life setting with the Live Burn Trailer provided by the Maine Fire Training Institute.

The trailer was brought to the parking lot of the FCTEC two weeks ago for the use of local Franklin County fire departments, but students have had access to it during class time.

“An amazing amount of training can be done with it,” Instructor John Churchill said.

Students from Mid-Maine Technical Center in Waterville have been making the trip to Mt. Blue Campus as well to take advantage of the real life practice. Roughly the size of a single wide home, the trailer is equipped with propane-fed simulated flames, smoke machines and moveable walls that allow new mazes to be made for each different training.

“It allows us to move through the different trainings really quickly. With a live fire structure you have to build the fire, put it out and clean it all up before starting all over again,” Churchill said.

The facility was used for a 12 hour training over the weekend, with all area departments participating. This is the first time the trailer has been brought to this region and with plans in the works for a permanent all-hazards training facility, Churchill said he hopes they won’t need the trailer again.

“Western Maine is suffering because there isn’t a training facility nearby. It would be a huge benefit,” Deputy Director of Maine Fire Service Institute Jim Roy said.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

5 Comments

  1. With very nice training facilities in Phillips and Carrabasset Valley, only used by the towns themselves or town nextdoor, Both fire chiefs are never asked if they are availible to use. Which knowing them both, they are more then happy to have other departments use it and They encourage/offer it, But never hear anything. But MFSI and FFR wont settle until they have one in Farmington…. 30 minutes down the road. Why waste the money?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.