UA partners with Canton Township Fire Department for advanced firefighting training

A new partnership between UA's Training Center for Fire and Hazardous Materials and the Canton Township Fire Department (CTFD) in Stark County, Ohio, will continue to provide current and future firefighters in the state and region with advanced training to suppress fires while saving lives, property and the environment.

UA has entered into an agreement with CTFD to host its annual Advanced Fire Training Days at the department’s Fire Administration Office and Training Facility. UA’s Advanced Fire Training Days are designed to provide firefighters with the latest skill sets to be successful first responders and provide their own personnel with vital life- and property-saving techniques.

The Advanced Training Days were created to offer “conference-level” training locally to meet the challenge of firefighters attending similar out-of-state sessions. The previous training days, which started in 2017, were held at the Portage Lakes Career Center but, as attendance grew, so did demand for additional space and training equipment.

“We are excited to get back to this training and are excited to have CTFD be our premier partner in offering these classes on an annual basis,” says Matthew Claflin, chief of training and projects coordinator for UA’s fire training center. “The advanced classes were created with the thought that firefighters need continuing training that is as real as possible, and we create training evolutions that give the attendees that real-life experience.” 

Passion for training

This year’s intense and physically demanding training will take place Oct. 4-7. Participants will experience forcible entry and advanced survival skills, advanced search and hose line management, and live fire training. Last year’s training days were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The core infrastructure the Canton Township Fire Department’s training facility provides includes a two-story Class A live-burn structure, self-survival mazes, on-site fire hydrants, a communications lab and a four-story mobile training tower.

“Our organization is very much focused on training and we have a lot to offer on that front,” says Rick Morabito, assistant chief for CTFD. “What drew me into this partnership was the University of Akron’s passion for fire training. The Canton Township Fire Department shares the same values and outlook for training that the fire instructors at UA have. This is going to be a great relationship between the two organizations and we’re thankful the Canton Township Board of Trustees supports this partnership.”

“Hopefully we can build on this new partnership, especially in the academic area, to provide current and aspiring firefighters with professional development classes,” adds Dennis Ragins, director of fire training and associate professor of fire protection at UA. “This might even lead to UA fire training students earning their fire certification credentials through this collaboration.”

Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.