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Fire science training gets a boost at Chemeketa

Chemeketa Community College’s Fire Science program credits its partnerships in the community with its success, and one partnership may lead to a dramatic expansion of the program.

Approximately 40 years ago, the program began in the old Salem Vocation Technical School, which preceded Chemeketa, with the encouragement of Marion County Fire Chief Ted Miller and instructors Bob Mobley, Cecil Dill, and others.

This partnership is about to take on a whole new dimension
with the proposal that Chemeketa assume operation of the Brooks Regional Training Center.

“Our dream is that eventually we could have all of Chemeketa’s public safety programs – criminal justice, EMT, and fire services – located there,” said Johnny Mack, associate dean of Emergency Services. “Having training for all emergency services in one place makes sense.”

The Chemeketa Fire Science program is one of the most successful fire science programs in the nation. It is one of a handful of college or university programs to be accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress, and each year students apply to the program from all around the country. Last year the program had about 250 applicants, 120 of whom met minimum qualifications for acceptance. Only about 40 to 45 students each year are admitted into the program.

Mack credits the college’s partners with helping it achieve that success. “What makes our program unique,” he said, “is the working fire station we have on campus, as well as our partnerships with agencies in the community.”

The first home of the program was a trailer behind the Marion County Fire District 1 station near Cordon and Herrin roads NE.

Other important partnerships Chemeketa’s public safety programs have made over the years are with Marion County Sheriff’s Department, City of Salem Police Department, and other law enforcement and correctional agencies throughout the district.

Marion County Fire District 1 helps provide Chemeketa’s program with emergency response vehicles and instructional support and training. The college provides space in the fire station for county firefighters. Other partner agencies also provide assistance with training.

Chemeketa and Marion County Fire District 1 are finalizing plans to turn over to Chemeketa the operation of the Brooks center on Brooklake Road, about five miles north of the college’s Salem campus. Future plans would include a new fire station to be built in the vicinity of the training center.

This move would be a tremendous addition to an already exceptional program, Mack said. The Brooks Training Center includes space for seating 45 to 50 people in a classroom configuration or 75 people in an auditorium-style arrangement. It has state-of-the-art technology and an 8,000-square-foot practice bay.

“We could create a number of scenarios there,” Mack said, “which better prepares our students for a variety of emergency situations, like high-angle rescue, getting people out of wrecked cars, dealing with hazardous materials, and defensive tactics.

“What this partnership between the college and other agencies means is that the people in our district have better- trained emergency responders,” Mack said, “and we hope this move is just the beginning.”

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Updated October 2006 by the College Advancement Department.