Training for the Unthinkable – SFD Members Complete Structural Collapse Course

When buildings fall, preparation rises – and members of the Statesville Fire Department have been sharpening their skills to meet the challenge.

Eight SFD personnel recently completed an intensive Structural Collapse Class hosted at Cleveland Community College in Shelby, NC. This advanced training spanned over 80 hours and included both classroom instruction and hands-on practical scenarios designed to simulate a real-world building collapse caused by an earthquake or other catastrophic event.

Throughout the course, participants gained critical knowledge in:

• Shoring techniques: Using lumber to build support systems in unstable structures to create safe spaces for rescue operations.

• Breaching and breaking concrete: Learning how to safely breach collapsed concrete structures and support them during rescues.

• Collapse behavior: Understanding how different types of construction respond during a failure and how to navigate the risks involved.

The course culminated in a realistic scenario where students applied everything they learned in a simulated building collapse – testing their teamwork, technical knowledge, and problem-solving abilities in a high-stakes environment.

The Statesville Fire Department is proud of the following personnel for their dedication to improving rescue readiness:

• Battalion Chief Frank Carter

• Captain Rawdy Cox

• Captain Danny Fisher

• Lieutenant Landon Russ

• Lieutenant Brian Morris

• Firefighter Trey Lagle

• Firefighter Bobby Morrison

• Firefighter Travis Akins

They trained alongside peers from departments across North Carolina, including Mooresville, Kernersville, Newton, Hickory, Shelby, Orange Rural, and Cherokee.

With the completion of this class, SFD now has 12 certified personnel trained to respond to structural collapse incidents – a vital capability in the event of large-scale disasters.

This kind of specialized training ensures that when the unthinkable happens, our firefighters are ready – with the right tools, skills, and mindset to save lives.