It has been just over a year since Auburn Career Center students and staff gathered under sunny skies to watch the ribbon cutting of the school’s Public Safety Burn Simulator and Training Building — the first phase of a larger plan for a first-responder-training campus.
It has been just over a year since Auburn Career Center students and staff gathered under sunny skies to watch the ribbon cutting of the school’s Public Safety Burn Simulator and Training Building — the first phase of a larger plan for a first-responder-training campus.
The second building, a public safety training facility, was celebrated under equally sunny skies April 23, as a large crowd turned out once again for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its completion.
The building is equipped with high bays able to house firetrucks and other large apparatus, alongside four classrooms for fire training.
During the event, two plaques were also unveiled and the ribbon itself shared the spotlight with a fire hose, which was signed and uncoupled.
ACC culinary students catered the event and criminal justice students directed traffic. Meanwhile, students training to become firefighters were eager to show off their skills, providing tours of the building and running a two-minute drill to get from their street clothes to bunker gear as fast as possible.
ACC Superintendent Brian Bontempo emphasized the impact the building will have on the local community.
“We certainly have a workforce need. We know that about 15% of all firefighters are retiring annually, but we only have about 8% that are entering into these programs,” he said.
That loss isn’t sustainable, he said, noting a need for more student involvement.
“We have great teachers, we have great equipment, great supplies, but you have to have student interest,” he said. “So, we needed a way to make it cool.”
The burn simulator and training building was the first part of the department’s upgrades, Bontempo said, adding this new building is the second part of that process.
“When you think about how communities judge themselves, you think about how you educate the people in your community, how you care for those people that are in the greatest need, how you take care of the streets, the homes, the parks, and then how you maximize the resources that meets the needs of the people,” he said. “This checks every one of those boxes.”
A building like this does not happen without partners, he said, highlighting the support of local K-12 school communities, fire departments and area community leaders.
Bontempo also acknowledged ACC’s construction students — who helped build some of the signage on the facility — along with Cold Harbor Building Company and Lakeland Construction Group.
Concord Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Biddell called the facility a major step forward for everyone across safety services.
“It provides direct access to a pipeline of motivated and well-trained individuals to utilize and hire from within our departments,” he said. “It’s a tremendous asset when it comes to recruiting for all of us.”
The facility expands local horizons for professional development, he said, noting the Concord Fire Department recently trained in Auburn’s burn building.
“It’s a resource that allows our firefighters an opportunity for real life scenarios, live fire and tools like this make a real impact,” he said. “They strengthen our team, they sharpen our skill and ultimately help us respond better and faster to our community. But above all, this facility reinforces what matters most and that’s public safety.”
As neighbors and partners, CFD looks forward to its continued collaboration with ACC and service to Northeast Ohio, he said.
Director of Public Safety Education Sean Davis, who graduated from ACC’s fire academy, gave the staff glowing praise.
“Auburn Career Center has always had, in my opinion, the best public safety instructional staff that anyone could find,” he said. “We have always taught with a passion and we have always put the student first. For years, we did the best we could with what we had.”
Now they have the best teachers and the best equipment, he said.
“This has been a dream of mine,” Davis said. “I’m honored to see it to fruition.”
