Fire Department Training Room is operational

By Shari Harris, Publisher

When the Licking Rural and City Fire departments hosted their Open House in October, they shared plans for the construction of a new training room. Thanks to the hard work of the volunteer firefighters, that training room has become a reality.

Built in the northeast corner of the fire station, a fully insulated, temperature-controlled training room has been constructed, giving a professional appearance to the space where tables and chairs previously allowed firefighters to gather.

The room has two exits and allows room for 30 firefighters to train. It also provides an enclosed office space, room for an office desk in the main area, a restroom and space for a refrigerator. A mounted monitor allows for video or live-streamed training.

Above the training room is more storage space, including a small room which will also be temperature controlled. Equipment can be stored there which otherwise could have been damaged by extreme temperatures.

Materials for the project were primarily funded through the City Fire Department budget, but the Rural Fire Department also contributed. The labor was all volunteer, provided by the volunteer firefighters who will use the space. Material contributions, purchased materials, and work by Larson Construction, Benson Tile and Electric, Friend Lumber, Butler Supply, Mini Split Supply, WES, cHc Do It Center, and Harold G. Butzer, Inc., also went into the project.

It’s been a busy time for the growing volunteer fire department and for Fire Chief Aaron Greathouse, who assumed the position in April 2023. New SCBA’s (long overdue), a new gear washing station, new extrication equipment and now a new training room have been welcome additions to the department. Grants have provided for some of these purchases, but the City and Rural Fire Department budgets have also helped.

Residents of the City of Licking pay their dues through taxes. If you live outside the city limits of Licking, fire protection is provided by the Licking Rural Fire Department, which is dues-based. The dues, which are payable each year to the fire department, prevent charges for services provided by the department in the event of a fire. Although the budgets of the City Department and the Rural Department are separate, both departments work together to keep the fire station operational.

The volunteer fire departments assist with structure fires, brush fires, medical helicopter landing zones, motor vehicle accidents, ambulance assists, fire alarms, search and rescues, storm damage assessments, LP or natural gas emergencies, and mutual aid calls to nearby fire departments.

The department also participates in community events and educational opportunities including Rodeo Weekend, July 4th celebrations, Christmas Parade, Truck Pulls, and Fire Prevention at area schools and daycares.

In addition to its first responder duties, the fire department can also have a direct impact on the wallet of homeowners in the area. The ISO rating given by insurance companies helps to determine insurance rates, and part of that rating is decided based on the abilities of the fire department. A more able fire department results in a more favorable ISO rating and lower insurance rates. Chief Greathouse explains more about the ISO rating in this week’s “Behind the Red.”

Chief Greathouse invites anyone who is interested in donating their time to the fire station, either as a firefighter or in many other capacities around the station, to contact him, a board member or another volunteer for more information. Several jobs could utilize different backgrounds of anyone wanting to volunteer, including drivers, event coordinators, grant writers, data entry/bookkeepers, mechanics, medical professionals, auxiliary and more. If you would like to volunteer or need to pay your membership dues, please reach out to their Facebook page at Licking Rural Fire Department or contact them at 573-889-8167.