Voegler Memorial Training brings neighboring crews together
William “Bill” Voegler, former chief of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company, fell in love with fire fighting at a young age, and dedicated his life learning and teaching others everything there is to know about it. Now, 12 years after his passing, the Voegler Memorial Training carries on everything he cherished.
“My dad was, what, 9 years old? It was just a truck with lights that lured him in, and then he got into the science of it, and he didn’t think he was very smart. I thought he was a genius,” Voegler’s daughter, Linda Voegler, said.
The training is in it’s second year, and connects 12 fire companies around Butler and neighboring counties for an extensive training. From 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. June 6, the departments ran joint drills at Butler County Community College’s Public Safety Training Center.
Drill scenarios included structure fires, underwater rescues, car accidents and a mass casualty event, allowing participating crews to experience many incidents they could encounter on duty.
“We want them to be able to experience a busy day at a fire station, you know, you’re gonna be tired, you’re gonna be running to lots of calls, and be able to make decisions under pressure and remain calm and still execute the task at hand,” Tarence Mosey, lieutenant and instructor at the Unionville VFC and vice president of the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association, said.
Dispatching multiple teams to these drills gives them a chance to coordinate and work together on problems, and receive feedback from instructors as they go. Building trust across departments is crucial. As the number of volunteers declines, more companies are required per call.
“What used to be done with one department now takes three or four departments, and at four departments you’re still putting very minimal amounts of people on scene,” Ryan Enscoe, an instructor at North Washington Volunteer Fire Department, said.
Mosey said that when fire companies learn how to work side by side, they can work better on scene together.
“We all work together, we get to experience how this company works so when we do end up on a call together, we’re able to mesh,” Mosey said.
Friendships flourish through fire fighting as well. Mosey said even when he’s outside the fire station, he can often be found with his fellow volunteers, and this training fosters an inter-departmental brotherhood.
“It’s a family, you know,” Mosey said. “I have an issue with my house that I need help with, I know I can make a phone call to either someone from my station or three stations away, and they’re going to come help me out.”
Out of everything the participants learned, Linda Voegler said the most important thing is knowing how to be safe, and being able to come home from every call.
“I hope they go home feeling more enabled to stay safe on that job, and I hope they feel more inspired to continue doing this and keep coming back,” Linda Voegler said.
