NVFC B.E.S.T. Practices For Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety - Part 4 - Training

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The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety Priorities were developed in 2008 by the NVFC's Health and Safety Committee to remind volunteers to be their best with their B.E.S.T. Practices initiative. B.E.S.T. stands for Behavior, Equipment, Standards and Training. 

"T" stands for Training, not only for first responders but it includes public education for children and adults. "We have quite a few schools in our town. We get requested frequently to go out and give demonstrations. We also help with their disaster training at the schools," said Capt. Greg Christmas of the Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department.

"Whatever we can do with fire prevention is going to help with fire suppression," said NVFC Board Member Deputy Chief Kevin Quinn of the Union Fire District in South Kingston, Rhode Island. Sierra Madre Fire Department also hosts a Fire Prevention Festival in October for all community members, and they offer citizens a CERT Program. Their local Fire Safe Council has a chipper program and helps with fire patrol.

It is important to train the citizens, but the volunteers must also keep up with the latest standards in fire suppression as well. "It's critical from a safety standpoint that we do take and put the proper training in place.  So that we are safe and we are preparing our emergency responders so that they can go out and  do the job properly trained on the national standards," said Quinn.

Sierra Madre is surrounded by paid, professional departments like the U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Pasadena and Arcadia. Their training has to conform to the standards of their neighbors.

"On a daily basis we have between 6 and 8 personnel on duty so they do the engine company drills and paramedic company drills on a daily basis anywhere from two to five hours of training a day for the engine company," said Christmas. The volunteers monitor themselves constantly to make sure they continue to train on different aspects of the job to meet and exceed National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

The department also does an entire departmental drill once a month. Sometimes they bring in fire trainers, and since they are near Hollywood, they have opportunities for unique types of training. "We have actually gone out to some of the movie studios sets and we've trained there," said Christmas.

Not all volunteers can physically fight fires. One department is training some of their members to become drivers. This in turn will help the department and still allow the volunteers to be a part of the department and help their neighbors. "It's a sense of self-worth, just being here and giving back to the community," Harris said.

To keep your department at its B.E.S.T. visit www.nvfc.org/Health_Safety.


Author:Barbara Brooks - FDNNTV.com