RESCUE TRAINING EQUIPS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WITH VITAL SKILLS

There is a lot more to fighting a fire than meets the eye. When a fire truck arrives at the scene of a blaze, the men and women aboard bring with them years of experience, including specialized training to do their jobs safely and effectively. Firefighters and other emergency responders are vital to our community – and the training they receive can literally mean life or death. That’s where Midwest Center for Public Safety Training comes in. The center provides rescue training to better equip police and fire departments to do their jobs. “We’re the only ones in the area who can do what we do,” explains Rich Wenger, assistant (interim) director of fire science and rescue at MCPST. “That means we provide basic firefighting skills as well as more advanced rescue training.”

Begun in 2007, hundreds of area emergency personnel have had the opportunity to improve their life-saving skills thanks to the services of the center. MCPST delivers specific training for emergency providers that is unique in the area. With two lakes, a wave pool, a 55-foot tall tower and barn building, the center can help simulate water, fire and high angle rescues in a variety of conditions. “The bulk of fire training is for volunteer fire departments in the area,” says Rich, who has also been a volunteer firefighter for over two decades.

Unlike fire departments with career firefighters, volunteer fire departments often rely on training outside the department. And budgets can be extremely tight. Local fundraisers help many fire departments secure the equipment and training they need, but it only provides so much. “We really want to make sure that everyone who wants to get training can get it,” says Rich. That’s the goal behind the Midwest Center for Public Safety Training Golf Outing. In its seventh year, funds from the four-man best ball tournament support training for firefighters, emergency service providers and law enforcement. The tournament begins at 9 a.m. today at Palmer Hills Golf Course, Bettendorf. Werner Restoration is the title sponsor of the tournament.

The bottom line

As a fire restoration business, the Werner Restoration team witnesses the bravery of firefighters regularly. That’s why Werner supports fire departments in western Illinois and eastern Iowa throughout the year.

Being the title sponsor of this golf outing is another way that Werner can do this.