Shaler Area School Board approves adding new firefighting class

High school students in the Shaler Area School District will have the opportunity to receive training as firefighters beginning next school year.

Members of the Shaler Area School Board voted 7-0 to approve a new course, “Essentials of Firefighting at the Allegheny County Firefighting Academy” for the 2023-24 school year.

“This ‘Firefighting at the Allegheny County Fire Academy’ was brought up two or three months ago,” board member April Kwiatkowski said. “I think it’s a benefit not only for our students, but for the community at large. I’m sure after covid they’re in need of volunteers.”

It will be a cooperative agreement between the Shaler Area School District and the Allegheny County Firefighting Academy, and a win-win scenario for both, according to Shaler Area assistant superintendent Bryan O’Black.

“It was actually something the board came to us with and asked us to explore. It’s going to provide our students opportunities to go to the fire academy during the course of their school day,” O’Black said. “In a time where volunteer firefighters are needed within our community, we thought this was a great opportunity for not only our students, but also for the communities that we serve to help bolster the pool for volunteer fire fighters.”

O’Black said students don’t have to be a volunteer firefighter in a community to go through the program. He said the program will provide them with some of the essential skills to pursue a professional firefighting career.

“It does meet a niche group of kids within the building who have an interest in this,” he said.

The board also approved the contract for door replacements at Burchfield and Marzolf primary schools, Shaler Area High School and Shaler Area Middle School to AB Specialties in the amount of $92,600.

The contract for tile replacements at Shaler Area Middle School was awarded to Franklin Interior in the amount of $14,200, as well as the alternative bid contract for replacing carpet with tile at Shaler Area Middle School to the same company in the amount of $15,307.

And the board approved a contract for tile replacement at Marzolf Primary School to Franklin Interior in the amount of $23,550.