GLENMOOR -- Training among four local volunteer fire departments -- Calcutta, Glenmoor, Dixonville and LaCroft -- was held at Lake Marwin Saturday morning, with firefighters deliberately setting ablaze the dance hall, then holding a controlled burn.
 
Mike Bahen, Liverpool Township fire chief, said a company from the Pittsburgh area brought thermal imaging cameras that firefighters used inside the burning dance hall.
 
These cameras, which cost about $20,000 each, allow firefighters to see inside burning buildings, where smoke and flames make vision virtually impossible.
 
The cameras make vision clear and precise in burning, smoking environments. Victims trapped inside a burning dwelling can be rescued much easier with the aid of these cameras. During a fire, it's so hard to see trapped victims,  said Bob Griffin, Glenmoor fire chief.
 
The cameras also can be of great help in finding the fire source, which is an important part of putting a fire out, he said. If you're unsure where the fire is coming from, it  really can't be snuffed out in an expedient manner.
 
Both Bahen and Griffin said the four fire departments have a very special bond and their mutual aid is so strong that the four volunteer fire departments respond to emergencies and work together like a large fire department.

That's why they want two of the thermal imaging cameras to share among their departments, the fire chiefs said.

"We had some firefighters enter the building shortly after the fire was set (the blaze was set in the middle of the dance hall)," Bahen said.

In its day, the dance hall was a place where young people met to socialize and dance. Bahen said although the dance hall and Lake Marwin may have fond memories for those age 45 and above, most younger people have no association with it, since it's been out of use for decades.
 
Lake Marwin, a two-acre lake, served as a place for youth to cool off in the summer. Bahen said many folks met their spouses there, years ago.
 
But that was part of a yesteryear long gone by, and the owners of the property asked the fire departments if they  would burn the dance hall to the ground, Bahen said.

About 50 firefighters from the four fire departments took part in the controlled burn Saturday.
A number of new recruits, some in their late teens, got a chance to control the burning of a building set for razing in a controlled setting, with plenty of seasoned, veterans on hand to give them pointers and help them out.
 
A 23-year-old female firefighter, Peggy Stephens of the Calcutta Volunteer Fire Department steadily kept a hard stream of water on the roof of the burning fire hall. The only woman firefighter at Calcutta's fire department, Stephens works as a nurse's aide at East Liverpool City Hospital.
 
"We're controlling the fire," Bahen explained. "We want the dance hall to burn down. There's a tree only three feet away from the hall we want to save. Water's being sprayed on the burning building to keep trucks from getting too hot and to keep heat down."
 
With the fire started about 10 a.m., Bahen said the fire departments would probably remain at the scene for six, possibly even eight hours, to assure that the fire is totally out and the situation is under control.

 
"We're letting a lot of our younger firefighters who just finished training have a hands-on experience today. Their training is a controlled environment," Bahen said.</P>
 
"Today, we have six new firefighters who just completed a class at East Palestine Fire Department. The class was offered through the Columbiana County Career Center. It was a 36-hour, eight-week class," he said.

Griffin said the first 10 minutes of a blaze are the most crucial with structure fires. If response isn't made within this time window, it's hard to salvage anything.</P>
 
"Ten minutes after we set the dance hall on fire, flames were shooting up through the roof," Griffin said.

So far, about $19,000 has been collected through donations and fundraisers to buy the first thermal imaging camera, Griffin said.
 
But what these four fire departments need even more than the costly, high-tech cameras are new firefighters. Ranks have dwindled since the `80s and more firefighters are needed, Griffin said.</P>
 
In a rush-rush world of today's society, people who work hardly have time to spend with family, let alone do any volunteer work, Griffin said. And with it so tough making it today, few volunteer for civic responsibilities, like firefighting. Many have to take on extra jobs to make ends meet.
 
"We need volunteer firefighters and that's a fact. Anyone who's interested should call any of our four fire departments," he said.

Members of the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association may have received or will be receiving a card in the mail from Harris Publishing Co., requesting verification of information for an upcoming alumni directory. Harris publishing has been commissioned by the ELHSAA to produce an alumni directory. There will be no cost to the association, and ELHSAA members are under no obligation to purchase the directory. Alumni are encouraged to provide updated directory information to the firm. J. D. Gauron, ELHSAA president, said several people have called to see if the request for information was legitimate, and he wanted to assure them that it is

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