Cincinnati Fire recruits have trained next to the West End fire station at Liberty and Linn streets since 1939.
But this is the last year for the facility before the fire department moves training courses to a new space along the Mill Creek.
Recruits climbed a 107-foot ladder there Friday as part of their training. Captain Alexis Mundy said it's an early milestone.
"This is kind of a vote of confidence the recruits will embark on," she said. "It's obviously pretty high up. That fear of heights, we address that quickly because we will have to climb ladders as part of the fire department. This is really a rite of passage for them."
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Catherine Upchurch was one of those recruits. Her parents are both police officers, and she wanted a similar career.
"I know an office job isn't for me," she said. "I'd rather be on my feet and out helping the city."
Upchurch wasn't too nervous about the climb — she's a rock climber, so heights don't bother her.
"I enjoy getting out and learning all the practical skills," she said. "It takes me one step closer to getting my dream job."
There are plenty of other challenges ahead for the 52 recruits currently working their way through training. Mundy says they'll need to be able to lift ladders weighing as much as 100 pounds and drag dummies as heavy as 200 pounds. That's in addition to written tests and other physical requirements.
The department is seeing more recruits than in the past — Mundy said classes used to be roughly 20 people. That's part of the need for a new space.
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"We're overcrowded in the classroom we have upstairs," she said. Wear and tear at the 86-year-old facility also factors in. "This tower is holding up pretty good, but you can see the rust in some areas. There are some walls that have taken a beating with the weather over the years."
City Manager Sheryl Long says the new facility will centralize classroom and physical skill training areas in one location and will incorporate updated technology not available at the West End space. But West End locals are still covered. The neighboring fire station will remain after the training center moves later this year.