Rio Hondo College Truck Operations Training

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The Rio Hondo College in Santa Fe Springs, California, is now offering a comprehensive Truck Academy Course, where professional firefighters from California and across the nation come to learn the latest techniques in truck operations.

The eleven day program gives firefighters eighty-eight hours of hands-on and classroom training, covering all aspects of truckman skills.  Steve Chute, a Firefighter/Paramedic with Los Angeles County Fire Department and a twelfth-year Instuctor at Rio Hondo College, explains the approach the Academy takes, saying, "We learn from each other while we're out here.  We do have curriculum that we are teaching here at the program, so we are making sure that these firemen are proficient in the skills that we want them to learn.  We are teaching certain ways to do the skills, and sometimes that is different than what they do at their department."

Kurtis Bennett, a Firefighter with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department who attended the most recent session of the Academy, says, "It's totally invaluable to take classes far away from where you work because then you see that other departments are going through the same sort of things that you are and maybe they do something good or better than you do, and you trade secrets."

The program costs $875.00 per student.  $600.00 is allocated to the college registration fee, and all students receive two units of college credit.  $275.00 of the fee goes towards the purchase of the materials used in each of the props for the course.  The facility does not have dormatories, and so firefighters coming from out of the region stay at local hotels; however, lodging is not included in the program cost.  Many fire departments pay to have their firefighters attend, although some students whose departments do not offer that, pay for the class out of their own pockets.

The most recent session of the Rio Hondo Truck Academy was held in January, and for more information on how to enroll for a future course, e-mail riotruckacademy@gmail.com or call (562) 941-4082.




Author:Deanne Goodman - FDNNTV.com