RESERVE — Local college students got an assist from firefighters to maintain equipment and secure safety techniques.

“With great community partners like Fire District 11, we are able to maintain the equipment necessary for a high level of training, giving our students the competitive edge in their future job opportunities,” Reserve Campus Penelope Freeman said.

“Because Safety is of paramount importance and emphasized throughout all of our technical programs, the proper care and use of our Air Bottles is essential.”

Current SCL Technical College Process Technology student Brandi Miller, who serves with Albany Louisiana’s Fire District 11, assisted the college with its Self-contained, Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).

SCBAs are a vital tool used in firefighting and hazardous material responses, Freeman said.

In atmospheres that will not sustain life, regular respirators don’t work. SCBAs are required in these scenarios.

The Process Technology curriculum includes SCBA demonstrations that teach students safety and rapid response skills. The demos simulate an environmental event that would require the use of supplied air.             

With the approval of Fire Chief Michael Whiddon and the assistance of fellow Volunteer Firefighters Jacob Whiddon and Justin Russell, Miller took too the college’s entire inventory of SCBAs to the fire station to service them.