MSA, BC3 host Chileans
BUTLER TWP — Butler County Community College and MSA Global teamed up last week to train instructors from Chile's national firefighting academy on the newest techniques and equipment available.
The four instructors flew to the United States as guests of MSA, which produces fire safety equipment. They spent Thursday training at BC3s Public Safety Training Facility burn building.
“We are training them to be able to train their peers in Chile. They already are experts in the field. What we are doing is training them in the newest firefighting techniques and MSA's newest sophisticated equipment,” said Steve Catt, executive director, BC3 Work Force Development.
Technique training included learning how to properly fit a breathing apparatus to an unconscious individual in a fire, then drag him to safety. Equipment training included work with MSA's self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, thermal imaging cameras that allow firefighters to see through smoke, and gas detection devices capable of monitoring toxic gases in the air.
“It's MSA's equipment, but we are allowed to use it for training all the time. We have a wonderful partnership with MSA. They bring in their customers from all over the world,” Catt said.
One building at the fire training facility has MSA's fall protection training equipment area, a place Catt playfully refers to as the “jungle gym.”
Other guests to the facility throughout the year include industrial fire brigades from companies such as ALCOA and PPG, as well as volunteer and paid fire departments.
“They'll come from other states and regions to use our fire training facility,” Catt said.
Ben Mauti, MSA's fire service marketing manager for North America, was on hand to observe and assist in the training.
“Part of what I do is go talk to our customers and find out what they like about our products, what they don't like, and what they want to see us do in the future,” Mauti said.
“You can find our products in 99 percent of the fire departments around the country, and probably the world. For example, we are the sole supplier of SCBAs to the National Board of Fire Departments of Chile (Junta Nacional de Cuerpos de Bomberos de Chile).”
Mauti was joined at Thursday's training by John Ramsey, MSA's international product launch and marketing analyst, two Chilean MSA representatives who acted as translators, and five BC3 instructors, each are certified Pennsylvania state fire instructors.
The college and the company have been partners ever since the BC3 Public Safety Training Facility opened in 2002.
“MSA's partnership with BC3 has been an unbelievable resource for us. You can't say enough about the (BC3 staff). Today's training was a pretty custom request,” Mauti said.
“It's an extremely well-run facility. They don't say the word 'no.' They just find a way to make it happen, the right way. We have trained customers here, engineers, sales people, marketing personnel ... a lot of people.”
Although MSA staff train firefighter instructors abroad in the proper use of MSA products upon initial purchase, it is common for the company to bring clients to Western Pennsylvania to experience BC3's fire training school and tour MSA's facilities.
Mauti said, “The big theme for us is commitment to fire safety, to innovative products and to our customers. Part of that commitment is bringing customers here.”
MSA's Chilean guests were in the Butler County area all last week. Monday, they visited MSA's engineering labs and learned about new SCBA standards. Tuesday and Thursday, they trained at BC3. Wednesday, they underwent gas fire training at an Equitable Gas facility in Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County, and Friday they toured MSA's SCBA production facility in Murrysville, as well as its corporate headquarters in Cranberry Township.
