Vicksburg firefighters in April will upgrade their skills at fighting aircraft fires under a program provided by the Mississippi State Fire Academy.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday approved an agreement with the state to provide the Airport Refresher Firefighter Training April 21 at the State Fire Academy in Pearl for 22 firefighters at a cost $6,930.

“This is to recertify the firefighters in the department who are certified in fighting airport fires,” Fire Chief Charles Atkins said.

He said the eight-hour course includes search and rescue training and practice laying foam and taking other measures to extinguish fires.

“They have an airplane fuselage that will be filled with smoke and the firefighters will have to go in and find and remove a dummy,” he said. “They will also have to put out a live fire.”

 

In other action, the board:

• Recognized water and gas administration employee Angela Bell on her 20th anniversary with the city.

• Proclaimed March Red Cross Month.

• Took under advisement a lone bid from Allied Universal Corp. of Miami for liquid chlorine bleach for the wastewater treatment plant at 91 cents per gallon, and $10 to lease storage tanks for the bleach.

• Approved spending $885 for commercials over three months on radio station Q105.5 to sponsor the Miss Mississippi and Miss Outstanding Teen Pageant interviews.

• Approved a request from the Exchange Club of Vicksburg to use the playground at Catfish Row from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the CAP Center’s annual “Zoo Party in the Park” fundraiser April 25.

• Approved purchasing a $1,000 ad in the program for the Vicksburg Homecoming Benevolent Club’s 40th Annual homecoming July 2 to 5.

• Approved a request from Port Gibson Main Street to borrow 75 metal barricades for the 22nd Annual Port Gibson Heritage Festival, March 28.

• Approved a reality farm-based reallocation for Ronnie Muirhead Farmland Allocations. Murihead is leasing about 88 acres of unused Vicksburg Municipal Airport property for farming. City Attorney Nancy Thomas said the city is required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve a reallocation form because Muirhead is changing the crops being grown on the land from soybeans to a combination of soybeans and wheat.

• Approved the claims docket.