U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall was at city hall in Logan yesterday to help kick off a very important communications project that has the potential to assist first responders in required training, the general public with job searches and online educational classes and to help the elderly stay in touch with family far away.

Rahall said the new high speed internet computer lab hosted at the Logan Fire Department will be the first of 19 in southern West Virginia and it is part of a $4.4 million federal grant overseen by the Future Generations Graduate School to improve broadband internet access in West Virginia.

Over the next few years, Future Generations will equip 60 fire departments with 10 computers with broadband access, Rahall said.

Each lab will have mentors chosen by fire departments to offer training and support.

Other training programs will include career readiness, e-commerce, disaster resilience, health and well being and online mapping. The project will also repair and sell low-cost refurbished computers.

Attending the opening ceremony was Logan Fire Chief Scott Beckett, Computer Lab Mentor Jason Connelly and many others from across the state who have worked on the project.

Rahall said firefighters and police officers are the first line of defense for communities and individuals, risking their lives so the public can sleep soundly at night. He said the project is sensible as everyone knows how to find their local fire department.

Two more labs will be open in Logan County at the Cora and Buffalo Creek fire departments.

Rahall said many people in Washington, D.C., including U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, have been supportive of the project as they realized rural communities are often unable to take advantage of high-speed technology due to the "digital divide."

Rahall said he believes the project will be successful due to three factors:

• Location — because the public is comfortable with firemen.

• Training — because mentors are available to help and so users can get online access to needed training.

• Availability — because high-speed access means important projects can be done more quickly and take less time using broadband than dial-up.

The Future Generations Graduate School will continue to work with and train people throughout the course of the project and will also oversee a broadband awareness campaign, Rahall said.

A repair station will also be set up and refurbished computers will be available to the public for between $100-$200.

Rahall said he and others in congress hope the initiative will help to cross the digital divide and make high-speed internet access more affordable and available to everyone.

"We are making big strides," Rahall said, noting that broadband access could help meet the challenges West Virginia faces in helping people get online education, job training and searches and to keep in contact with people across the globe.

Rahall said coal is the backbone of West Virginia's economy but, as time goes on, technology infrastructure will become more important to both the coal industry and other industries as the economy diversifies.

"This type of technology will help us do that," Rahall said. "We must partner together to meet the needs of our future."

West Virginia State Fire Marshall Sterling Lewis said he believes having the labs hosted at area fire departments is important because it will help firefighters get needed online training and to make fire departments more interactive with the community.

Lewis said older firefighters in the room could remember the days when the local fire department was usually the hub of any community.

Lewis said all firefighters are required to do a tremendous amount of required training and testing and that can get expensive due to travel costs and time constraints. As much of this training is available online, the travel costs can be eliminated and save firefighters themselves a lot of time and save their communities money.

Beckett said the broadband, which is provided by Suddenlink, is the fastest internet available in the coalfield region and will soon be available at three labs in the county. Beckett thanked Mayor Serafino Nolletti and the Logan City Council, as well as state and national officials, for their assistance on the project.

"We are all very excited about the possibilities for this and where it can lead," Beckett said, referring to job searches and job training for the general public, helping young people and the elderly to get basic communications skills so they can stay in touch with family and friends and the potential for area businesses to network online.

The operating hours for the computer lab are:

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday — 10 a.m. to noon.

• Wednesday — 6-8 p.m.

• Saturday — 2-4 p.m.