Moraine Park Receives Fire Truck Donation

Fire Truck

Moraine Park Technical College’s Fire/EMT program has received a generous donation from Woodland Fire Department. Last fall, the Woodland Fire Department announced their plans to cease their community services and made plans to donate their department fire engine to Moraine Park. The engine was presented to the College on Monday, March 22 during a small event at the Woodland Fire Department.  

“We hope this donation will help Moraine Park fill the industry with new firefighters,” Tony Roethle, Woodland Fire Department Chief, said. “There is a need for volunteer firefighters- without them, fire stations simply can’t survive.”  

This year, the College has an increased number of students in the firefighter certification courses, and in mid-May, they will undergo their testing to become certified.  

“We are pleased to see this increase,” Barb Jascor, Dean of Health and Human Services said. “We have been working hard to promote and support our local fire departments, and we hope to continue to see enrollments increase in the future as well.”  

The College will use the donation for hands-on student learning, which will help students learn on equipment comparable to what they will see on the job.  

“The donation of the fire truck complements the existing simulation equipment used for Fire/EMT students,” Barb Jascor, Dean of Health and Human Services said. “Currently, we have both a full-sized ambulance and apartment, along with high fidelity patient simulators, that many of our health and human service programs utilize for simulations. The addition of the fire truck allows further hands-on training for both existing and future firefighters throughout the Moraine Park district.”  

The ambulance and apartment simulation were added last summer, as part of the Beaver Dam campus remodel project, and have been a vital addition to the curriculum. 

“Hands-on learning offers an easy pathway from the classroom to career,” Jascor said. “We rely on our community partnerships, and the generosity of the Woodland Fire Department will directly impact fire training offered within our district for many years.”  

The Woodland Fire Department ceased operations effective January 1, 2021, and staff who elected to relocate are serving the Iron Ridge and Neosho departments. Additionally, Hartford, Iron Ridge and Neosho Fire Departments are now serving the community of Woodland. 

The Woodland Fire Department donated their fire truck to Moraine Park Technical College to aid fire education. Pictured in the back row (left to right) are Dana Bourland, director of college advancement at Moraine Park; Barb Jascor, dean of health and human services at Moraine Park; Werner Lehnert, Woodland Fire Department; Paul Lehnert, Woodland Fire Department; Donny Zimmerman, Woodland Fire Department; Craig Becker, Woodland Fire Department; Rick Kling, Woodland Fire Department; Alex Braunschweiger, Woodland Fire Department; Rick Schumacher, Woodland Fire Department; Jeremy Lackas, Woodland Fire Department; and Aaron Paul, fire instructor at Moraine Park. Front row (left to right) are Dr. Jim Eden, VP of academic affairs at Moraine Park; Tony Roethle, Woodland Fire Chief; Nicki Roethle, Woodland Fire Department; Charles Hagen, Woodland Fire Department; and Andrew La Cross, Woodland Fire Department.

For more information on Moraine Park’s Fire Certification Training, visit morainepark.edu.

Written by Kristina Haensgen
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