Demolition of school a training opportunity for Oxford firefighters

Walls of the former Talawanda High School building started tumbling down Tuesday morning and by late afternoon, there was a long pile of rubble along what had been the front of the building.

Two senior classes have finished their high school careers in the new building since the old one was last used, but demolition of that building drew a steady stream of residents throughout the day with cameras or phones in hand to capture a photo.

One of those early arrivals with phone in hand was Talawanda district treasurer Mike Davis.

Seeing demolition of the former high school building, Davis watched with mixed feelings. A member of Talawandas class of 1973, it was his high school, but as district treasurer and chief financial officer, it meant money into the district coffers to help pay for construction of a new Kramer Elementary.

When you think about it, this is worth $2.3 million to the taxpayers, Davis said pointing to the demolition work underway. We got $1.2 million for the site and Miami is doing this. That would be another $1.1 million saved by the district.

Before the demolition work began, the former high school building served one more useful purpose as the Oxford Fire Department used its abandoned hallways for training.

Firefighters from Oxford and Milford Twp. used the building for seven sessions to practice things such as forcing doors open, cutting through doors, and setting up hoses inside a large building.

The greatest part of it is that we got to do stuff we usually dont get to do, Oxford Fire Chief John Detherage said. Its like fighting any fire on Miami University property, with large, sprawling buildings, hose logistics and making sure everybody is out safely.

At one session, he said they practiced cutting a hole in the roof, which would be for ventilation of smoke in a fire. Another session saw firefighters cutting a large hole in a heavy door at the loading dock to the old vocational agriculture area.

The Oxford chief said they have been getting more calls in recent years to assist the Milford Twp. department and also calling Milford Twp. for help. Members of that department joined in the training at the former high school for a couple of the sessions.

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Demolition of school a training opportunity for Oxford firefighters