Honolulu CC Fire students represent at Hawaii firefighter's convention

Honolulu Community College
Contact:
Billie K T Lueder, (808) 845-9187
Communications & External Affairs, Chancellor's Office
Posted: Jul 2, 2012

Honolulu CC Fire Student Garrett Oudraad wins the "Shrek Award."
Honolulu CC Fire Student Garrett Oudraad wins the "Shrek Award."
Fire Students getting hands-on experience.
Fire Students getting hands-on experience.
Seven Honolulu Community College Fire Science students attended the 2012 Hawai‘i Fire Conference, June 14-16.  The conference is Hawai‘i’s premiere convention for firefighters that featured various seminars and hands-on training events at the Seafarers Training Center in Kapolei. Attendees were firefighters from all the islands and some mainland fire departments as far as Orlando, Fla., in addition to the fire students.
 
Hands-on training included interior search, forcible entry, automobile extrication, roof ventilation, and VES (Vent, Enter, and Search).  All of the training evolutions provided realistic scenarios to force each student to consider variables such as sizing up a building, fire conditions, ladder type and placement, tool choice, search techniques, secondary means of egress, and victim removal.
 
“A valuable aspect of this event was the presence of many spectators who were likely to be possible interview panel members of future applicants for Federal, State, and County Fire Departments.  Our students had a rare opportunity to showcase their skills and they didn’t disappoint,” shared Honolulu CC Fire Instructor Chief Richard S. Rhode.
 
The seven Honolulu students included Amador Barrios, Mark Pascua, John Scanlan, Malia McClung, Brandon Hoida, Michael Medoff, and Garrett Oudraad. Oudraad was selected as the winner of the “Shrek Award” for locating a victim that nobody knew was there during search and rescue evolutions.
 
Rhode and Honolulu CC’s Fire Lecturer Charlie Volhein assisted with the coordination of the conference, and provided many of the tools and equipment, personal protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus for the hands-on evolutions. Honolulu CC Fire students were provided a 50 percent discount during registration in appreciation of Honolulu Community College’s efforts.
 
Honolulu CC is the first community college in the University of Hawai‘i System to offer an associate in applied science degree in fire science.
 
 
ABOUT HONOLULU COMMUNITY COLLEGE
For more than 90 years, Honolulu Community College has been serving the community as a comprehensive community college in the heart of Honolulu meeting the post-secondary educational needs of individuals, businesses, and the community. A member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, Honolulu Community College has been continuously and fully accredited since 1970 by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges.  For more information, visit http://honolulu.hawaii.edu