A hefty addition to the toolbox
<p>Ron Carpenter, truck foreman for Pacific Steel, pries open the door of a forcible entry prop as Northern Lakes Fire District firefighter and emergency medical technician Mike Avilla watches during a demonstration of the equipment Monday at the Rathdrum fire station. Donations from Pacific Steel, Coeur d’Alene Metals and the North Idaho College welding department contributed to the making of three of the training pros with a value of $15,000.</p>
RATHDRUM - Mike Avilla said he caught a "bug" after a forcible entry firefighting training session last year.
The Northern Lakes firefighter and EMT thought forcible entry props would be nice for local agencies to have access to, but building or paying for them was another story.
That's when help from the community caught fire.
Pacific Steel donated the materials, Cd'A Metals the planning efforts and North Idaho College students the manpower to make the props reality.
"They blessed our socks off," Avilla said of the partners. "We'll beat on these doors until our hearts are content."
Each of the props has a value of at least $5,000. They help responders learn how to gain quick access into buildings and deal with locked or jammed doors.
One of the props came custom-made, including precision cuttings of flames, the Northern Lakes logo and other features.
"We were able to put our new plasma-cutting table to use and our students wanted to trick one of the doors out," said Tim Straw, NIC welding instructor. "The students had a great time on this project."
Straw said it was an opportunity for students to get work experience while helping the community.
"We're a community college, so we're here to support the community," he said. "What better way to do it than to help a fire department?"
Toye Ladrow, a student who worked on the project, said he was thankful for the chance to give back.
"The firefighters have one of the hardest jobs I can even think of and deserve a well-constructed door for their use for training," Ladrow wrote in a letter.
Ben Halderman, general manager of the employee-owned Pacific Steel in Hayden, said the donation of the steel "made sense."
"We all need firefighters, and part of Pacific's mission is to bring value to the community," Halderman said.
Avilla said the movable props will be available for other agencies to train with. He said the heavy-duty props, which weigh about 700 pounds, will serve Kootenai County for years to come.
"These will be around long after I retire," he said.