Fire crews will train together.Byline: TRICIA SCHWENNESEN The Register-Guard With an eye on saving money and increasing efficiency, Eugene Eugene, city (1990 pop. 112,669), seat of Lane co., W Oregon, on the Willamette River; inc. 1862. A processing and shipping center in a farming area, the "Emerald City" has lumbering, food-processing, and microchip and other electronics industries. and Springfield Springfield. 1 City (1990 pop. 105,227), state capital and seat of Sangamon co., central Ill., on the Sangamon River; settled 1818, inc. as a city 1840. city leaders announced plans Wednesday Wednesday: see week. to jointly train new firefighters. Beginning in March, recruits from both cities will attend 13-week basic firefighter training together, Eugene Fire Chief Tom Tallon said. The combined effort will capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. Eugene's state-of-the-art training center on West Second Avenue and enable Springfield to buy $26,000 in equipment that will help trainers test the abilities of the newest crew members. The combination will allow for a larger training staff with less cost to both departments - although the savings haven't yet been estimated, he said. Springfield Fire Chief Dennis Murphy said the two departments share a rich history of collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. , and the latest move takes that to a higher level. "I can see only good coming from this new partnership," he said. Tallon and Murphy began talking about possible joint efforts two years ago, but were directed a month ago by Eugene and Springfield city managers to put their ideas in action. "It's almost a New Year's resolution A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set ," Murphy said. "This is what we're going to do." Springfield has completed recruitment for next year and its eight firefighters will take on the joint training. Eugene is expected to hire between eight and 12 new crew members. The curriculum is under development, but will include classwork at the Eugene center and hands-on drills in both cities, Springfield training officer Mark Walker said. An added benefit is that the two departments will learn the same basics and can study how each would respond given the same situation, such as the Thurston shootings in May 1998, he said. "It doesn't matter who takes you to the hospital or who puts the fire out," Walker said. "It matters that it gets done." Combined training makes sense for two communities that often provide backup for one another, Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey said. The public likes the idea of city government and services working together, he said. "We need to come up with more opportunities like these," Torrey said. "This may be a good example of things to come in the future," Springfield Mayor Sid (1) (Society for Information Display, Santa Ana, CA, www.sid.org) A membership organization founded in 1962 devoted to the information display industry. With chapters around the world, SID hosts conferences in the U.S. and abroad and publishes a monthly magazine. Leiken said. |
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