New fire safety trailer rolls out at BC3
BUTLER TWP — One of two new fire safety trailers made its debut Thursday at the Butler County Community College Public Safety facility.
The trailer is one result of $393,000 raised by the Cranberry Township Community Chest for its annual Project of the Year. This year that was an effort to spotlight the need to have more volunteer firefighters in the county.
To do that, the money raised is buying two of these safety training trailers for $65,000 each and more than $260,000 is going to BC3 to fund scholarships for students who are also volunteer firefighters.
One of the trailers, which are used for recruitment, training and educational purposes, is for the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company and the other is for BC3 to train firefighters on-site and to lend out to any of the county's 31 volunteer fire companies.
“It doesn't solve all of the problems with volunteer firefighting,” said Bruce Mazzoni, the CTCC treasurer, a Cranberry supervisor and a BC3 trustee, but having these resource certainly helps.
The trailers will be used to educate youths about fire safety. They have blinds on the windows that shake and have lights resembling lightning to simulate a storm taking place outside. Another room can simulate a trash can fire and smoke.
BC3 will provide $1,000 scholarships for up to 12 students in the county who are volunteer firefighters or who are working to become firefighters. The students can study any program at the college on a part- or full-time basis.
The endowed scholarship is renewable once for a maximum of $2,000 per person.
