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Community Corner

Training prop for Westwood Fire Dept. fabricated by Blue Hills Regional students at considerable savings to town

When the Westwood Fire Department needed a training prop to use for teaching firefighters the correct way to break down a door, a procedure called forcible entry, they knew where to go to have the job done right and at considerable savings.

Capt. Robert Valluzzi of the Westwood Fire Department came up with the idea to ask the students in the Metal Fabrication and Joining Technologies program at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton to undertake the project, so he conferred with his colleague, Training Capt. Richard Cerullo, who is a graduate of the school.

The prop, which was recently finished, is in every way equivalent to one that could be purchased commercially – except for the price tag.

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Valluzzi said that such items are made by numerous companies, usually with a hefty cost of between $2,000 and $10,000.

The Blue Hills-made prop cost just under $400, a fraction of the commercial price, according to Metal Fabrication and Joining Technologies lead teacher Brian Gearty.

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“[Having it done at Blue Hills] was a perfect solution,” said Valluzzi. 

The prop, which looks like a freestanding black metal doorframe, can have a door made of any material inserted into it as long as it is of standard dimensions.

The act of breaking down a door in an emergency situation involves a skill set that you don’t get to practice very often, said Valluzzi.  The value of having a training prop like the one created by Blue Hills is that it can be used repetitively without damaging anyone’s property, he explained.

Senior Tim Young of Canton was the lead student who worked on the project.

Valluzzi noted that the entire Westwood Fire Department thanks the students, faculty and staff of Blue Hills for their generosity and support. 

“The project couldn’t have gone any smoother,” he added.

 

 




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