Article from the MCC Daily Tribune, Thursday, September 19, 2002

Greek Firefighters Train in Rochester

Firefighters from Athens International Airport in Greece will travel to Monroe Community College's Public Safety Training Center, Sept. 21 - Oct. 28 for advanced aircraft rescue and firefighting training.

The Public Safety Training Center (PSTC), located at 1190 Scottsville Rd., was chosen by the Greek firefighting unit because of the advanced facilities, technologies and capabilities available. This is the first international training contract the center has been awarded.

Thirty six firefighters will arrive in three groups of 12, with the first arriving on Sept. 21, the second on Oct. 5 and the last on Oct. 19. While in Rochester, they will each undergo a week-long training course on how to handle cabin fires, effect rescues from disabled aircraft and extinguish engine fires. They will also be trained on the PSTC's two specialized crash trucks.

"They saw our ad in an international publication," said Jim Harrington, program coordinator for fire science and systems at the PSTC. "They went to our web page and looked at what was available and were impressed with our capabilities. They decided to come to Rochester versus London's Heathrow International Airport because we can better meet their needs."

The PSTF has some of the most advanced props and equipment available for aircraft fire rescue training in the country. The Fuel Spill Fire Trainer, for example, is a mockup of a Boeing 737 surrounded with thousands of propane fuel valves. These are lit and controlled by computers in the control tower to simulate an actual aircraft fuel spill fire, while maintaining a safe environment for trainees. A 125-foot burn area surrounds the prop, and the valves can be fully ignited to surround the entire plane or divided to allow for a partial area burn.

Mark Sommer
MCC Public Affairs
09/18/2002

Top of Page

NFTC Home Page

Back to PSTC What's New Page

URL: /depts/pstc/AthensARFF.htm

Updated: September 19, 2002