Joplin launches regional fire academy

The city of Joplin and its Fire Department are teaming up with Missouri Southern State University to launch a regional fire academy.

The program starts this summer with training in fireground operations and other best practices.

“We have the opportunity to impact the city of Joplin by providing educated firefighters so they don’t have to rely on as much in-house training,” said Ted Lee, director of MSSU’s emergency medical services department. “The closest fire training centers to Joplin are three or four hours away, so we also have the opportunity to provide quality fire education to parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.”

Read more from the Joplin Globe.