FIREFIGHTERS TO GATHER AT JACKSON THIS WEEKEND FOR REGIONAL FIRE SCHOOL

JACKSON -- Career and volunteer firefighters can pick up lifesaving tips at the 17th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Fire School Saturday and Sunday at Jackson High School.

The school, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Firefighters Association, is the largest outside of the University of Missouri. It is conducted by the Fire and Rescue Training Institute and the Missouri Division of Fire Safety.

Volunteer firefighters from the East Cape Girardeau County Fire Department in Egypt Mills made the skills they learned from a rappelling class count in dramatic fashion a few years ago: They helped rescue someone who fell from the cliffs at Trail of Tears Park.

"Rappelling has become one of the most popular classes," said Joyce Harky, who helps coordinate the event. "That class fills up faster than any of the others; we had to turn some away last year."

Rappelling will be taught by Les Crews of the Chesterfield Fire Department in St. Louis County. The class is limited to 20 students. Enrollment fee is $30.

Participants select from a menu of seven classes. All programs last 12 hours. Those who register the day of the event must pay an additional $10 walk-in fee. Class fees range from $15 to $30.

Horky said that 87 percent of the people who have enrolled for this year's seminar are volunteer firefighters. "Volunteers come from towns like Marble Hill, Glen Allen, Whitewater and Leadington," Horky said.

Classes range from teaching firefighters how to park their trucks to using the proper hoses to basic skill development and command management.

Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Bob Ridgeway will teach a class titled "Managing Company Tactical Operations." The class costs $30 and is limited to 40 students. The course was developed to meet needs of fire officers and crew leaders responsible for managing one or more companies in structural firefighting operations.

Some 30 fire departments and 181 firefighters will be represented at the seminar, which also includes an introduction into firefighting and rescue operations.

Individuals who are thinking about becoming a firefighter should take Lt. Paul Boyd's class on the introduction to fire service and basic skill development. Boyd works for the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Enrollment is limited to 30 students and costs $15. The class requires full protective clothing and self-contained breathing gear.

Bill McCredie, assistant chief with the Rock Community Fire Department, will teach a class titled "Hazardous Materials Incident Response and Operations." The course, limited to 40 students, costs $15 and deals with analysis, planning duties and response to a fire involving hazardous materials.

Mike Walker, fire chief at the Rogersville City Fire Department, will teach a course in advanced pump operations. The class, which costs $30, is limited to 30 students.

Bill Albright, a specialist in fire and rescue training, will teach an emergency-response driving class. The course costs $30 and is limited to 25 students.

John Mallott, chief of the Kennett Fire Department, will teach a course titled "Incident Command System.".The fee is $15 and is limited to 40 students.

For additional information call Joyce Horky at 243-5001.