GCSU students organize volunteer fire safety brigade

GCSU will soon have a fire safety brigade run by Georgia certified student firemen this month. This collection of four students will train Community Advisors on proper use of a fire extinguisher, hold instructional safety courses and be prepared if a disaster occurs while they are nearby.

“There’s no better adrenaline rush than when your pager goes off. It could be three in the morning, but you’ve got to answer the call” said Nathan Bressler, one of GCSU’s student firefighters.

These students have been called to a high standard. They are not the type to be found downtown on a Thursday evening, and are highly concerned for the safety of their fellow students.

“At a moments notice we can respond (to an incident). We know the campus and can get there quickly.” said Evan Karanovich, another student firefighter at GCSU.

These students are the driving force behind this organization. It was their decision to organize a school group. Not only are they trying to put in work at the school, they are certified volunteer firefighters for the county.

“We wanted to merge school and play,” said Bressler on the reasoning for starting this group.

To become a certified firefighter a rigorous 190 hour training program run by the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council is required. There is a written, physical, and oral evaluation at the end. The volunteer tag signifies that these students get no compensation for the work that they contribute. All their time put in is because they volunteer.

There is no set date for the official establishment of the organization, but the students are working hard to have it up and running by the end of the month.

“October is fire safety month, so we’re really trying to get it in place before the end of this month,” Bressler said.

The prospected budget for the new organization is low to none. The work that will be done is mostly teaching students and faculty safety procedures in case of a fire. The students involved expect the fire brigade will be a great benefit to the safety of GCSU and the community.

Posted by MarkWatkins on Oct 8 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.