The recent donation of a shiny new pumper truck will benefit students in the Fire Science and Emergency Medical Services programs at Lone Star College-CyFair with real world interactive skills training.

Thanks to a Wharton County Junior College partnership, a Spartan Pumper truck by General Safety Equipment is housed at the fire field at LSC-CyFair’s Emergency Services Education Center (ESEC).

The ESEC facility featuring a working fire station, a fire and paramedic training classrooms, a mock ER as well as a four-story burn tower and Life Flight Helipad resulted from a unique partnership between the college, the Cy-Fair VFD and the Emergency Services District #9 when the college opened in 2002.

Such community partnerships allow LSC-CyFair to help provide relevant, hands-on skills training for future firefighters and paramedics. It was in part thanks to Fire Science Program Director Mike Naglieri’s relationship with colleagues in Wharton that the college received a key, literally, to this generous in-kind truck donation.

“We are so fortunate to have received this wonderful gift from Wharton County Junior College and we appreciate their partnership. Our students will now have access to a wide variety of fire equipment, enriching their learning experience and better preparing them for the workplace,” said LSC-CyFair Vice President for Student Learning Dr. Deana Sheppard. “Thanks to our outstanding leadership and teaching in the Fire Science department, we are addressing the need in our community for more first responders.”

While LSC-CyFair has shared access to the Cy-Fair VFD’s Pumper truck by Pierce, which volunteer firefighters use on weekends, this additional truck will provide numerous options for program use, said Naglieri.

Having two trucks, the new one with a customized chassis and the Cy-Fair VFD one with a commercial chassis, is beneficial from a mechanical standpoint as there should always be a working truck available, he said.

“What’s unique about this new truck is all the cabinets lock so they can remain stocked and ready to go,” said Naglieri. “So students can check the truck fluids and the equipment just like they would do first thing in the real world.”

This truck also provides more students more hands-on experience rather than training through simulated drills. Students will hone skills from learning the basics of equipping and driving the truck to performing complicated pumping evolutions, he said.

In addition, the new truck will be LSC wrapped which will help promote the Fire Science and EMS programs in outreach and recruitment efforts at high schools and community events.

For information on LSC-CyFair’s Fire Science and EMS programs, go to LoneStar.edu/cyfair.