Training EMTs and firefighters: Marietta BOE approves donation for students

Marietta City Schools Board of Education members approved a donation by a local business that will help students learn to be EMTs and firefighters.

During the board meeting Monday night, board member Cody Parman read a resolution asking the board to accept several donations to the school, including a $35,000 rescue truck. The truck was donated by Gary O'Brien of O'Brien Safety Services in Marietta.

The truck was donated to the Marietta High School Tiger Fire & EMS Academy.

According to the school district's website, the Tiger Fire & EMS Academy offers five classes that include foundations of firefighting and EMS, medical terminology, emergency medical responder (EMR), emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter 1 (FF1).

Once students finish the program they have the opportunity to be a certified firefighter 1 and/or an EMT when they graduate.

The website said that a 1987 fire truck was recently donated as well.

It was donated by Devola resident Mark Fulton due to four Marietta High School students assisting a person who was in a motorcycle accident in October.

The first truck and the rescue truck will allow students to practice pump operations, hose management, using ladders, spraying water and more.

Board President Sam Tuten was not present at the meeting. The other board members, Parman, Russ Garrison, John Lehman and Eric Reed all voted unanimously to accept the donation.

"The MHS Tiger Fire & EMS Academy is something that is growing at our school here recently," Parman said about the program.

Parman said the school district has a goal of building a facility to house the program that would have a couple of classrooms and a garage and that students would have access to it as part of their daily curriculum.

The donation is exciting, he said.

"This is incredibly generous and really exciting because it causes our district to offer something really unique and special and equip kids to go immediately from high school right into the workforce in these professions," Parman said.

The board went into executive session at 6:26 p.m. to consider the employment of a public official and to consider the investigation of complaints against an employee, official or student.

Garrison said that there would be no action taken after the executive session.

The next Marietta City Schools Board of Education meeting will be at 6 p.m. March 25 at 111 Academy Drive.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com