WELDING CLASS HONORED
FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

Welding Instructor Larry Youngblood’s senior welding class was recently honored by the Dayton Fire Department for their work on the reconstruction of a flashover simulator. 

“This was our community service project for the year,” explains Larry.  “The flashover simulator is used at the fire department’s center for training firefighters from throughout the Miami Valley area and is also used by students at Sinclair Community College.  Through use, the simulator becomes warped from the heat of the fire.  The department purchased the steel for the reconstruction and the students at Miami Valley Career Technology Center supplied the expertise and labor.”

Fire Department Training Personnel instrumental in the cooperative project include District Chief Kimber, District Chief Post, Captain Payne, Lt. Shiverdecker, Lt. Haun, Lt. Harris, and Lt. McClain. 

“The experience provides the students with a real-life welding repair opportunity along with a sense of pride in community involvement while saving money for the fire department,” says Larry.  “Many lives have been saved by the firemen having the opportunity to train and learning to recognize the signs of a flashover in the Flashover Simulator.”

Oxyacetylene torches and a Hypertherm Powermax 600 (plasma arc cutter) provided the students with the tools necessary to cut away the warped metal.  The damaged insulation had to be torn out and new insulation installed prior to installing 14 new steel panels using a Millermatic Pulser® (GMAW) and a Millermatic® 250 (GMAW).   Also, 8 new channels to hold the wood that fuels the fire had to be installed and new chains that hold the wood in place were renewed.  Because of limited class time, the students worked on this project throughout the school year. 

Each of the senior students gained practical experience working on the project as their time permitted, including Josh Artin, Justin Blessing, Eric Boyd, Shane Brewer, Justin Creager, Kevin Fickert, David Foor, David Kerby, Robert King, Jonathon Landesman, Ryan Lucas, Christian Ransomer, Albert Smith, and Jesse Whaley. 

A second piece of fire department training equipment is in need of repair and will be delivered to the MVCTC in mid-August.  The senior class of 2005 will be renewing that one. 

Youngblood, a former student and instructor at the Hobart Institute, has been teaching welding at Miami Valley CTC for 28 years.