Students enrolled in Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College’s firefighter training program recently put classroom lessons into practice as they learned vehicle extrication techniques during a hands-on training exercise at Andrew’s Towing and Recovery in Minden.
The training, observed this week, allowed students to use specialized rescue equipment to dismantle vehicles in simulated emergency scenarios. Participants cut through roof pillars, removed windshields, pried open doors, and took off vehicle roofs to learn how firefighters safely access and remove victims trapped in wrecked vehicles.
The students are part of NLTCC’s Emergency Medical Responder and Firefighter program, which serves Webster, Bienville, and Claiborne parishes. The program combines classroom instruction with practical training designed to meet firefighting and emergency response standards.
According to Minden Fire Chief and Webster Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness/Homeland Security Director Brian Williams, the course is offered as a dual-enrollment program that allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit while working toward firefighter certification. This is the first year for the course.
Williams said students who complete the program can graduate from high school with the training necessary to begin careers with paid fire departments. However, he said the program’s broader goal is to help strengthen local emergency response efforts.
“That way they can benefit the community they live in,” Williams said. “If you have the basic training … you can help when an emergency arises.”
In addition to workforce preparation, students earn college credit that can be transferred to other institutions.
The vehicle extrication exercises were conducted using wrecked vehicles supplied by Andrew’s Towing and Recovery.
“Andrew Lincoln, who owns Andrew’s Towing, is always working with us,” Williams said.
Williams said Lincoln regularly provides damaged vehicles for training exercises and assists by transporting vehicles to and from the department’s training center.
Speaking about the challenges students encounter during the exercises, Williams noted that the damaged vehicles provide realistic conditions.
“They’ve already been in a wreck so you’ve got all the dents and stuff to deal with,” he said.
Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy instructor Jeff Franklin, who also serves as Sarepta fire chief, said students had already completed Fire Fighter I certification and were working through requirements for Fire Fighter II certification during the training exercise.
The extrication training was part of the Fire Fighter II curriculum, and students were expected to complete their Fire Fighter II certification by the end of the week, Franklin said.
After completing Fire Fighter II training, students can continue advancing through additional firefighter education opportunities.
“The next step in their training would be Driver/Operator training, which is available through FETA at our facility at Pine Country,” Franklin said.
He said the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy also offers officer and instructor courses, technical rescue training, and industrial fire brigade classes at its Camp Minden-area facility.
Franklin said the academy trains firefighters from across North Louisiana and throughout the state.
The NLTCC firefighter program includes Emergency Medical Responder training, a medical certification that is commonly required as part of basic firefighter credentials. Through a combination of academic coursework and field exercises such as vehicle extrication, students gain experience designed to prepare them for both professional firefighting careers and volunteer service in their hometown communities. For more information, contact NLTCC at (318) 371-3035.
