2 days ago
Jimmy Ellis Training Weekend brings firefighters from around the country to Butler County
This weekend, hundreds of firefighters from around the country will meet in Butler County for what has become one of the biggest training events for firefighters in the region.
The third annual Jimmy Ellis Training Weekend is being held at the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry Township in honor of Captain Jimmy Ellis, who served in the city of Pittsburgh as a firefighter for 23 years before his death in 2022.
What originally started with 65 students has become a three-day event with nearly 400 people participating in lectures, demonstrations and hands-on training, all in remembrance of Ellis, who became known as one of the most influential firefighter instructors in the region and nationwide.
"We say he's a fireman's fireman," said Dave Moore, president of the Jimmy Ellis Firefighter Foundation. "[He was] very instrumental in teaching and leading, so he was a great fire instructor and just a great human being, great family guy."
"Just a knowledgeable guy, very quiet and humble, but he taught from the heart, and I think that's why we got along so good,"said retired New York City Fire Department Lt. Mike Ciampo, the event's keynote speaker. "It's not about being an instructor; being that quiet mentor in life, just demonstrating what you can do, and having other people watch and getting involved. That's what makes you a good instructor and a good person."
Part of the training will be classes at eight different sites around Butler, Allegheny and Washington counties.
"They're very good, very high-quality training," said Moore. "It's one of the biggest firefighter trainings in western Pennsylvania, if not the biggest."
Besides the instructional training, students are also taught about the importance of firefighters maintaining their mental health.
"This job is very emotional," said Ciampo. "You might hold it inside. We respond to drug overdoses, car accidents, fires, burnt bodies. It can play a toll on you. Help is available."
Ciampo said he met Ellis on the nationwide teaching circuit, and said it was his demeanor and his dedication to helping people that made him a special instructor.
"The first thing he would want is us not doing this," Ciampo said. "But when he found out that we're helping other families in need, or firefighters that are sick, or we can send another student to another conference in his memory to learn, I think that's what he'd be most proud of."
"We just try to push his legacy through and make sure that everybody understands what it's like, what it was like to know Jimmy and learn from Jimmy," said Moore. "We just try to keep passing that forward."
