The LeCroy Career Technical Center in Clanton held its sixth annual open house on Tuesday.

Students were able to showcase each department at the facility and interact with guests about their courses at LeCroy from 4-6 p.m.

“We have an unbelievable crowd tonight,” LeCroy director Tommy Glasscock said. “It is wonderful to see so many people come out and show their support.”

This year, the newly added Public Service Academy was spotlighted.

The academy focuses on fire fighting and law enforcement and is the county’s first public service class available to high school students who want to pursue jobs in those fields after graduation.

Chilton County Sheriff’s Deputy David Hubbard led the students in the Public Service Academy law enforcement division in a series of marching drills.

“There is not a single student in this group that is not making a grade below 100 percent,” Hubbard said. “If you want to know your student’s grade, just know that they are all working very hard and each one of them has a 100.”

Hubbard said students involved in the Public Service Academy law enforcement side often have a wide range of goals including military, police, game wardens and forensic science.

Clanton Fire Chief David Driver explained that students in the fire fighting side of the academy wanted to perform a barrel drill for those in attendance at Tuesday’s open house.

The students covered their faces with masks and went from barrel to barrel using voice commands.

“If as firefighters they become disoriented in a smoke filled building there will naturally be low visibility,” Driver said. “We cover their masks and they go from barrel to barrel simulating using columns in large buildings to find their way to a wall and then follow the wall to find a door or window to escape.”

Once the lead fire fighter locates the first barrel, that fire fighter taps on it to let the other fire fighters know where to go and they continue going from barrel to barrel until they find a wall.

“The drill also teaches the students that communication is a key part of this drill,” Driver said. “They must be able to communicate with each other in order to be able to escape. Also, having to talk to each other with a mask on gives them an idea of what it will be like trying to talk to each other having their voices impeded by the mask.”

Departments at LeCroy include Health Science, Cosmetology, Drafting Design, Electronics, Robotics, Horticulture, Business Education, Construction II and Auto Service.

For more information about LeCroy Career Technical Center, call (205) 280-2920 or visit Lecroytech.com.