Community Corner

Fire Dept. Donates Retired Engine to Fire Academy

The equipment helps the academy make training as realistic as possible, say firefighters.

Students training to be firefighters now have the benefit of working with more realistic equipment thanks to a donation by the Manhattan Beach Fire Department.

In late April, the department donated a retired 1989 Emergency One Hush fire engine to the Fire Academy at El Camino College to help replace an aging fleet of engines built in the 1970s. The '89 fire engine joins 2 newer ones, that although more than 20 years old, were designed with newer safety features, including enclosed cabs and breathing apparatus mounted in the seat backs, according to Manhattan Beach Fire Captain Scott Hafdell, an instructor at the fire academy. "This allows the students to perform fire ground operations in a more realistic environment and better prepare themselves for their careers in the fire service," he said.

Training at the fire academy helps graduates become certified as a California State Fire Firefighter Level 1, a certification required by many fire departments for full-time firefighter positions. 

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