#11 – Classroom/Lab Description (see attached photos)
The Fire and Rescue program at
There is no typical workstation in the Fire and Rescue area. In the classroom, two students are assigned to a 6' x 2' table and then the open lab is configured as needed depending on the particular skill addressed in that day's lesson. Students also work outdoors with fire hoses and fire truck and practice ladder work on a small shed behind our Main Building. To practice live burns, they go to the Harrisonburg City training grounds.
The new Health and Public Safety Building will more than double the space allotted for the Fire and Rescue program. In addition, the program will be able to house a donated Fire Engine and ambulance in its lab space. (see attached blueprint)
As our program grew over the last four years, it became obvious that we needed a larger classroom and lab space. Also, an area fire department had donated a fire truck and an ambulance to our program. We had no place to house these vehicles where students could practice their skills. We presented our needs to our Executive Board (
Artifact #13 - Technology in the Classroom
1. Students become familiar with what is called thermal imaging cameras (TIC). These are cameras designed to show warm or hot
spots in a wall or ceiling during a fire. It can also be utilized during a search for a person. This device will show temperature variations in different colors. We also can use these for liquid tanks -possibly containing hazardous materials- to get an idea of how full it might be during an incident. (see attached photo)
2. Students are shown and then allowed to use personal alert safety systems (PASS) as used by fire fighters. These are devices attached to fire fighter gear to alert other fire fighters if one goes down and is not moving. These devices make a loud sound if a fire fighter is not moving for a short period of time. This can also be manually activated to alert others to an emergency or lost fire fighter. (see attached photos)
3. Computer and projector (powerpoint) technology is used by instructor and students for projecting classroom presentations, and news articles are projected showing fires and other emergencies making the news. We also use the internet to search for pictures of different pieces of equipment we might not have in our current inventory. Digital photos are projected of students performing different skills and then enhanced while being projected to show how a skill might be accomplished differently or how someone else might also do it.