Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

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
Public Affairs
09/18/2002