MUSCATINE, Iowa–Interested in learning to weld, Muscatine High School student Landon Castle enrolled in welding one. He found that he liked it so much that he continued on to welding two, and in his senior year did an independent study in welding.
Earlier in the school year, Muscatine Fire Department Captain Andy Summitt reached out to Muscatine High School to see if their welding classes could help make a hose drying rack. Knowing the school has a robust industrial technology program, he thought a partnership could benefit both the department and the school. In a release to the media, Summitt explained: “I did the school-to-work program and independent welding when I was at Muscatine High School. I just thought about returning it back to the school, let them weld it for us, save some money, and provide the students experience welding stuff like this.”
When industrial technology teacher Bryce Lightner got Summitt’s request, he asked Landon if he would like to take on the project. Landon gladly accepted the challenge.
Andy Summitt and Landon Castle with the new hose drying rack for the Muscatine Fire Department. Photo by Kevin Jenison.
Working with the design ideas the fire department gave him, Landon carried out every step of the building process. “The department had a design that they wanted with the approximate dimensions, so I just used that and changed what I had to,” he explained.
During his daily 45-minute independent study period, Landon assembled the entire drying rack over the course of several months, though waiting for certain pieces to come slowed the process down. Throughout the project, he most enjoyed doing the actual welds to put the rack together, even if ensuring the pieces fit together correctly and went on square and level proved challenging. “I think it turned out well,” he shared, “especially with the help (on) the paint job and stickers from the shop’s student teacher.”
With the rack finished and ready to go, the Muscatine Fire Department will now have the tool they need to care for their hoses on-site at Fire Station Two. Later in the release, Summitt shared, “The rack will let us wash the hose down there and not have to transport the hose back downtown to dry–we will be able to keep it all in-house.” Because the fire department often trains new firefighters at Fire Station Two, the rack will also allow them to easily move the hoses around so that new firefighters can practice getting them out, handling them, and putting them back up correctly.
