Training officer enjoys instructing Brookhaven’s firefighters

BROOKHAVEN — Marlon Dixon joined the Brookhaven Fire Department nine years ago. He is now the department’s training officer in a career he loves.

Dixon said he started out as a volunteer firefighter in Byram, he has been there for 12 years and is a Captain in Byram. He rose through the ranks in Brookhaven to his role as training officer and now oversees the department-wide training. Brookhaven Fire Chief Jeff Ainsworth directed all questions about training to Dixon.

“I enjoy teaching and I enjoy making sure our firefighters have the knowledge to be successful in their career,” Dixon said.

The Mississippi State graduate is responsible for getting new hires trained to go through the Mississippi Fire Academy and keep current firemen in shape and prepared. Before new firemen are hired they must pass a pre-hire fitness test.

“Their pre-hire is a mile and a half run in 14 minutes, a 75.5-foot hose pull, a fireman’s carry and a 175-pound dummy drag,” Dixon said. “All are required to get into the Mississippi Fire Academy. Once hired, they take hazmat awareness and operations. Then they get into the basic 1001 class. It is a seven week course, Monday through Thursday.”

Mississippi’s Fire Academy is a grueling process. Dixon said before new hires go to the fire academy they do a lot of fire related drills tok prepare. New hires work with hose draggin drills and learn search patterns to be prepared.

Once the new hires complete the Mississippi Fire Academy they start training in the EMS field. Brookhaven Fire Department’s goal is to be able to respond to more medical calls.

“They have to take either EMR, EMT or EMS courses,” Dixon said. “Then we also have classes where they can further their education in the fire service. We are in the process of getting everyone trained in medical so it will be another thing we can bring to the citizens.”

Medical courses are taken through the Mississippi Fire Academy, Co-Lin Community College or Advanced Rescue Emergency Solutions Academy.

Training never stops

Dixon said the current firemen have to run a mile and a half in 15 minutes twice a year. To stay in shape, firefighters have an hour of mandatory fitness training each shift.

Dixon handles classroom training, street training and scenario based training. A scenario based training session is more about the mental side of firefighting. He will play a video of a fire and they will sit and talk about how firefighters would handle it.

“A lot of firefighting is mental. The decision you make is a life changing decision. One bad mistake could be a life changing decision. We have to be mindful,” Dixon said. “Our training comes in. It is a second nature habit for you to make the right decision.”

Brookhaven Fire Department utilizes a trailer behind Central Station for live fire simulations and search patterns. Dixon said they are currently working to get a new training facility built behind Station No. 2 at 223 N 1st Street in Brookhaven.

Containers for the new training center are ordered and hopefully by December it will be close to completion. The new training center would allow for better scenario based training as well.

“It would allow for more rope rescue training and we could do firefighting scenarios better,” Dixon said. “We will be able to have live fire so it gives us the ability to do more training on a broader scale. We can call out a scenario based training fire on the second floor with a possible victim. Engine One can go and do a search pattern for the victims and put out the fire.”

He said in the heat of summer firefighters do their training indoors with classroom training. Fall and spring time is best for full gear training when temperatures are not as hot.

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