Tonica Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter/EMT Stephen Ebener has been certified by the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office as a basic operations firefighter.
The required trainings were conducted by certified instructors of MABAS Division 25. Ebener was one of 22 candidates from the Oglesby, Grand Ridge, Newark, Seneca, Spring Valley, Tonica, Wallace, Troy Grove, LaSalle and Utica fire departments who put in many individual classroom hours, hands-on training, practicals and state testing over a five-month period.
About a dozen experienced instructors presented topics for which they have a good working knowledge or for which they have advanced educational certifications.