Entering the fire academy to complete fire fighter 1 is usually a 5-month process that will
challenge a probie's body physically on the fireground during training evolutions, and mentally in the classroom learning a college course's worth of fire science knowledge.
Unlike paid fire departments that go through intensive selection processes before hiring recruits to attend a fire academy, volunteer probationary firefighters can feel like the world has been dumped on their shoulders if they are not prepared by their fire company or department before hand.
This is the core of what I'm getting at, that volunteer fire departments often have the time and opportunity to prepare and train their probies before, and during their time in the fire academy. To a certain extend a volunteer fire department is responsible for its probies' successes and failures.
Probie Training Team
Your firefighters who will be mentoring the probies should be a mix of experience, authority, responsibility and recent academy experience.
1) A current line officer
- Organizes probie training sessions
- Supervises the safety of probies during training evolutions
- provides experience and insights in firefighting operations
2) An experienced firefighter
- provides experience and insights in firefighting operations
3) A recent fire academy graduate
- Provides insights into the current academy curriculum and training evolutions
- Will have academy insights that a firefighter who graduated years ago will not; particularly the in-classroom element of the academy
Probie Training Schedule
The schedule consists of 8 sessions, 3 hours in length that cover fireground operations, in-classroom fire science, and any academy prerequisite certifications.
Session 1
- Introduction to training schedule and expectations
- Introduction to fire company/department lines officer roles
- Lecture about the Incident Command System
- Preparation for the ICS-100 and NIMS-700 exams next session
Session 2
- Examinations for ICS-100 and NIMS-700
- Lecture about basic fire chemistry
- Lecture about fire classes and extinguishers
- Lecture and practical demonstration about PPE
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
Session 3
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- SCBA lecture and practical demonstration
- SCBA operation drill
- Air consumption drill
- SCBA bottle changing demonstration and drill
Session 4
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- SCBA components oral test
- Introduction the fire company/department's primary apparatus
- Tool location, function and name familiarization
- Hose diameter, function, location and name familiarization
- Fire apparatus fireground roles
- "Gopher" apparatus drill
Session 5
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- "Gopher" apparatus drill
- Practical demonstration about hydrants and supply line hook up
- Practical demonstration about engine appliances (portable hydrants, master stream)
- Engine company evolutions
> stretching a dry line
> requesting water and bleeding a line
> Advancing a charge line
> Flowing water from different hose types (booster, 1 3/4", 2 1/2")
- Introduction to hose racking
Session 6
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- "Gopher" apparatus drill
- Lecture and practical demonstration about different types
- Ladder deployment and climbing drill (with and without tools)
- Ladder leg lock demonstration and drill
Session 7
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- "Gopher" apparatus drill
- Lecture about ventilation basics
- Power saws and generator starting and operation drill
- Introduction to search basics
- Demonstration of basic victim drags and carries
- Search evolutions
Session 8
- 2 Minute Dressing Drills
- "Gopher" apparatus drill
- Lecture about mayday calls
>What is a mayday situation?
> How to make a mayday call using the LUNAR system
> Procedure for after making your mayday call
- Mayday drills
- Entanglement, wall breaching, SCBA maneuvering and window exiting drills
Follow up sessions upon instructor discretion and probie needs.
See you at the big one.
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