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Citizens Fire Academy participants were treated to an activity that raised more than hair Thursday night. Each class member was given a lift in the bucket of Tower One.
“I didn’t pass out or throw up so that’s good,” said Jan Shinpaugh, who admits she has a healthy fear of heights. “I also didn’t launch into a screaming fit, so that’s good too.”
Tower One weighs 75,000 pounds and its bucket reaches 95 feet in the air. It was purchased by the city of McMinnville 10 years ago as a way to ensure firefighters can reach the tops of tall buildings.
While the thought of falling can cause actual fear, perception wasn’t reality Thursday night. Training officer Capt. Phil Mitchell says firefighters are fitted with harnesses and hooked to the bucket, as were class members.
“Everyone will be fitted with a harness and given a helmet to wear so there is no real danger,” he said. “For those who are truly afraid of heights, let me know.”
Firefighter Scott Norrod manned the controls of the bucket and escorted two class members at a time.
“You don’t have to go all the way up,” said Mitchell. “If at any time you feel you are high enough, just let Scott know. He will stop immediately.”
During the session, members were also given education about the different types of fire extinguishers and how to properly use one.
Fire extinguisher categories:
• Class A extinguishers are best used for fires that include ordinary combustibles such as paper, clothes, trash, etc.
• Class B extinguishers are best used for fires that involve flammable liquids such as gas, oil, tar, grease, etc.
• Class C extinguishers are best used for fires that are cause by energized electricity such as computers, radios, TVs, etc.
Many extinguishers available today can be used on different types of fires and will be labeled with more than one designator. Multi-purpose extinguishers should be properly labeled.
“In your house, the best extinguisher to have is one designated Class A and Class C,” said Mitchell. “The fire is more likely to be electrical or combustible.”
When using a fire extinguisher, individuals should aim the nozzle toward the base of the fire, stand approximately eight feet away, squeeze the handle to discharge the extinguisher, and sweep the nozzle back and forth at the base of the fire.
The Citizens Fire Academy class is offered by McMinnville Fire Department to allow ordinary citizens the chance to see the daily life of a firefighter.
For more information or how to sign up for the next session, contact the department at 473-6739.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community