Grant will allow emergency responders to train closer to home

By: Carrie J. Sidener | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: January 06, 2009

A federal grant will make it much easier for emergency responders to get the training they need close to home.

The Lynchburg Fire Department recently received a grant of more than $106,000 to pay for the development of 42 classes for firefighters and rescue personnel, said Lynchburg Fire Marshall Greg Wormser.

The classes will teach everything from basic firefighting to vehicle extrication to management. By providing classes locally, Wormser said people can participate without time away from jobs and families or paying the cost of travel.

“Having this specialty training available locally will assist public safety providers in obtaining state-of-the-art training without having to travel far from home,” Wormser said.

The grant funds the instructor fees and their travel expenses and books and other materials. The Virginia Department of Fire Programs instructors will teach the classes, provided to students at no cost.

“It’s training they could not get locally because of the cost or it was not offered because there is not a huge demand,” Wormser said.

The classes will be open first to emergency personnel in Lynchburg and in Amherst and Campbell counties. Any additional available spots would then be offered to first responders from around the state.

Securing the grant was a joint effort between the city of Lynchburg and Amherst and Campbell counties. Sessions will cover everything from the basic classes needed to start as an emergency responder to more specialized and technical classes.

The classes will be taught in pairs — one session during the day and the other at night. The sessions will coincide, so if an emergency responder has to miss a class due to a call or other obligation, it can be made up quickly.

“All the classes will be taught so that everyone has the opportunity to participate,” Wormser said. “All they have to do is show up and have a willingness to serve. They don’t have to worry about time or money.”

Classes are scheduled to begin at the end of the month.

For more information, call the Lynchburg Fire & EMS Department at (434) 455-6375.