This past Wednesday evening a number of Winston County volunteer firefighters, law enforcement officers and 9-1-1 operators were beneficiaries of Hazmat training presented by Keith & Cathy Black of KC Environmental, Brandon, MS.
Keith Black has an impressive resume including: 30 years as Firefighter II/ EMTI – Ridgeland FD; Senior Instructor at the State Fire Academy; 15 years of law enforcement experience with Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, and Pelahatchie Police Dept. Black’s resume also contains: NFPA Fire Instructor III, Hazmat Technician III, Chemistry of Hazmat and many others.
Black stated that after ‘riding the truck’ for 20 years, and 12 years in the classroom at the State Fire Academy he felt it was time to venture out on his own. His company now offers many types of training for public safety responders, as well as industrial entities.
He added that he has a heart for volunteer firefighters. Black stated, “Volunteers do not have a large budget, and they don’t have the opportunity to go to the Academy for seven weeks for an in-depth course.” He continued that volunteers are regular people who have families and jobs, who can’t just leave for training. But these volunteers have a heart to serve the community, so when the call for assistance comes, they respond. Therefore, Black offers his training free-of-charge for volunteers.
According to Black, “We live in a vicious world,” as there are dangerous chemicals all around, even in our homes, and as many as 10K new chemicals being created daily.
The training this past Wednesday was an introductory lesson, and Louisville FD Deputy Chief Robert Hutto said that he hopes to have the Blacks back for more in-depth training.
