Volunteer firefighters from several area communities got a rare opportunity to receive local training by the Marshalltown Fire Department through a variety of workshops around Marshalltown on Saturday.

Groups worked at a Governor Road property that was acquired for training purposes, as well as at the training facility on the campus of Marshalltown Community College (MCC).

MFD Captain Curt Raue said it was the firefighters themselves that came to MFD leadership with the idea. The training attracted volunteers from around the area, including towns like Gilman, Albion, Green Mountain, Melbourne, Conrad, Toledo, Laurel and Montour.

Typically, firefighter training of this nature is done at in-state or out-of-state training programs, often hosted by chapters of the Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads Society (FOOLS) in the Cedar Valley or Des Moines area metro.

Several of the volunteers in attendance noted how unique it was to hone their skills alongside a paid department like the MFD.

“It’s hard as a volunteer with a full-time job, taking care of family,” said Bobby Colin, who’s volunteered in Conrad and Grundy Center for the last 15 years. “This is a great opportunity to learn from people that are doing this job every day.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY – Marshalltown Firefighter Jacob Patterson, who also serves as the chief of the Gilman Volunteer Fire Department, and Le Grand Firefighter Bob Crouse practice their hose technique during a training session on the MCC Campus while Marshalltown Fire Department Captain Curt Raue looks on Saturday afternoon.

It attracted volunteers of all ages as the youngest attendee, Belle Johannsen of the Toledo Fire Department, is still a senior at South Tama County High School. Bob Crouse, a volunteer with Le Grand Fire, felt the training was highly valuable.

“It teaches us different aspects of how to fight fire, different ways to run the tools, how to be more efficient at it,” he said.

The training at Governor Road included a forcible entry simulator, ladder training and search-and-rescue simulation using a home on the property, giving the volunteers perspective on what it will take to rescue those trapped inside burning buildings.

Training at the fire station and MCC included handling fire hoses and discussing various ways of water applications and their various effectiveness from situation to situation, including some live fire demonstrations.

The session also included lunch and social gathering time after training sessions had been completed.

“It’s a good chance for our guys to share their knowledge and also get familiarity with faces in the area,” Raue said.

Marshalltown is currently staffed by 24 line officers and firefighters, divided into three shifts, as well as three admin officers and an administrative assistant. The department responds to an average of 3,300 calls per year, providing fire protection, EMS assist, technical rescue, hazmat and extrication services to the city of Marshalltown and mutual aid partners when requested.

All of the volunteers who attended could agree on one thing: more people need to step up and get involved — as Crouse put it, every department is hurting.

“There’s a lot going on in family lives, and it’s hard to get people to come,” Laurel Fire Chief Mark Lamer said.

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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.