More Than Running Calls: Ebaugh ’24 at Miami Township Fire Rescue in Miami Township, Ohio
Jun 25, 2021
During the spring quarter I did my CO-OP at Miami Township Fire and Rescue in Yellow Springs, Ohio and attended an EMT class at Clark State Community College. MTFR is the local fire department that serves Yellow Springs, Clifton, the rest of Miami Township and parts of Bath Township. They provide both fire and EMS services to their community. Although the most public facing part of the department is the direct services they provide to the community through responding to 911 calls, there are many other aspects that happen behind the scenes. As the Special Projects Coordinator, I focused on updating their building databases. Keeping these databases up to date allows the crews responding to a possible fire to have an idea of what the building looks like and any hazards that may be present before they arrive on scene. I also assisted the shift with daily truck checks, station chores and other daily activities. Daily checks and chores allow us to make sure that all our vehicles, equipment, and station are ready when the community calls for help.
As an Environmental Studies Major focused on fire ecology, working at MTFR allowed me to learn the skills that are required to be there for communities in their times of need. Although I hope to focus on the land management side of fire ecology with the use of prescribed burns, I recognize that there are also times when wildland fires occur and a response is needed. I hope to be able to operate at the intersection of these two responsibilities. Through my time at MTFR and Clark State I have learned about prevention including fire prevention through assisting the Fire Prevention Officer with inspections. I also learned about incident management and what is needed to be prepared for and run calls. I enjoyed my time at MTFR and hope to continue serving the community while I attend Antioch.