Implementing Training and Certification Standards

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Chapter 5

• Implementing Training and Certification Standards

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Introduction

• Familiarity with the process used to hire career
  firefighters
• Not anything like it was in the old days
• Many applicants have all their certifications
• Many applicants may have a college degree

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• Develop and implement national standards for
  training, qualifications, and certification
  (including regular recertification) that are
  equally applicable to all firefighters based on
  the duties they are expected to perform

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• OPPOSING CONCEPTS
• Standards of care
• Chain of survival (AHA)
• Standard of care vs.
• chain of survival
• What about firefighting?

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• HOW WE GOT HERE
• Political issues
• Directly affect fire and emergency services
• Vast differences is state training processes
• States make changes fairly often
• Based on governing bodies
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• HOW WE GOT HERE
• After initial training?
• Drills vary by department
• Variables in education and training
• No two states are equivalent
• Nonstandard responses to emergencies

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Initial training requirements
• Learning domains
• Cognitive
• Psychomotor
• Affective
• Cont.

Courtesy of Concord Fire Department
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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Key action verbs
• Remembering
• Understanding
• Applying
• Analyzing
• Evaluating
• Creating
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• NFPA standards
• Knowledge
• Skills
• JPRs
• Resources
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Certification requirements
• Definition
• Tested by an accredited examining body
• Career firefighter basic training
• Volunteer firefighter basic training
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• In-service training requirements
• Overview
• Takes place on the job
• Ranges from lectures to hands-on
• Departments have own requirements for drills
• Practice and prepare
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Common skills
• High-frequency and low-risk
• Commonly practiced
• Target hazards
• Low-frequency and high-risk
• Natural disasters
• Cont.

Courtesy of Concord Fire Department
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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Funding issues
• Could result in deficient training
• Elimination of some travel
• Must justify to political leaders
• Positions cut in paid departments
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Accreditation
• Overview
• International Fire Service Accreditation Congress
• National Board on Fire Service Professional
  Qualifications (NBFSPQ, or Pro Board)
• In 2010 offered accreditation for 72 levels of 16
  NFPA standards
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• EVALUATING WHERE WE ARE
• Higher educational requirements
• Business associations
• Physical ability testing
• Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
• Pass/fail
• Rarely accepted outside respective area

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Life Safety Initiative 5

• ESTABLISHING WHERE WE SHOULD BE
• Recertification requirements
• FESHE model
• Model for future training
• Peer driven
• Total package
• of training and education
• Becoming an industry standard
• Cont.

Courtesy of John Blauch
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Life Safety Initiative 5

• ESTABLISHING WHERE WE SHOULD BE
• Cont.

Source Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
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Life Safety Initiative 5

• ESTABLISHING WHERE WE SHOULD BE
• Tiered training
• Specific levels within a certification
• Credentialing
• Presidential Directive 12
• First responder authentication credentials

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Summary

• Improving safety is a challenge
• Should establish minimum training and
  certification standards
• A career ladder has been developed
• Standard certification and the integration of
  higher education is encompassed
• Standard credentialing, certification, and
  recertification would provide the opportunity for
  safety to be interwoven into all aspects of
  training

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