Is Firefighter I Enough?

[maisela 0]

Do I believe that FF1 is sufficient for interior structural firefighting? Absolutely not. Having taken the old Basic Firefighter course and the current NYS FF1, I have to say that some progress has been made. When I took Basic, it was all that was required to be an interior firefighter (at least in my department). At no point did we have any live burn evolutions. The FF1 course has certainly helped; combining Basic and Intermediate together with CFA, Hazmat Ops, etc. But it’s still not sufficient training.

As alsfirefighter pointed out, the course is designed to give trainees the essentials to operate under direct supervision. Unfortunately, there have and will be calls when those experienced enough to supervise are few in number or not available at all. The potential for having an initial manpower pool with one company officer and five firefighters with only FF1 is there. Interior firefighters should be able to operate without direct supervision. So I would have to add FF2 to being a basic requirement for interior firefighting.

As it stands now, when determining what is enough for an interior qualified firefighter, the burden is currently on the standards of each individual fire department. My department at school has found a good system for doing this. Firefighters are required to go through the State’s Essentials course (about 120 hours). After that, they are considered probationary firefighters. Each firefighter is given a laminated 3” by 5” card with twenty skills on it including nozzleman, backup FF, forcible entry, ladders, hydrants, knots, etc. If the skills are performed to the satisfaction of an officer, the officer will sign them off for that particular skill. Once the card is full and the officers give their approval, the firefighter is given a black stripe indicating he or she is now an interior qualified firefighter. The catch is ALL firefighters and officers (including chiefs) are given a new card each year and are expected to have it completed by the year’s end. Otherwise, their interior status is revoked. We also use a similar system for qualifying personnel for vehicle rescue.

On a side note, I think an important component that FF1 is lacking is a unit on “routine” emergencies. Certain instructors have recommended books like Montagna’s but I think it should be part of the curriculum or even a separate class. We’re more likely to respond to CO alarms, wire and transformer fires, utility emergencies, water conditions and the like but FF1 barely touches on these subjects.

[Guest]

Here's 2 cents from a guy in Jersey.

All jersey firefighters are required to have a State Fire 1 Certification. Basic requirements are completion of an approved Fire 1 Class and I-200. There are no set requirements on the hours and career and vols are sometimes in the same classes. The larger urban departments generally run their own classes...being they usually have 40/50 people in a class. The course time generally exceeds the state requirements, but more so because the class is geared towards the specific operating standards of the dept rather then a general academy course. End of the day, we all get the same Cert from the state.

Seems NY may be a bit more defined in the hours spent, but to me the goal of all would be to get the cert regardless of position.

An no, FF1 is not enough alone to send you on your way. It kind of leaves you knowing just enough to get your self in trouble.

You have to look at the big picture before making a judgement on the training times. The big picture being the operations of the dept. Example: Does your Dept certify/train all personnel to respond to RIT/FAST calls or is that an option only if you want to be on that team? If it is an option, then sure...why teach it during a basic class. If RIT/FAST operations are expected of you, then it should be part of the basic course.

I find that one way to get people to go to training is harness their youth and vineger...send them to any training they want to attend (Within reason and budget). Keep them excited and fired up. Give an award for traing annually...most hours, completing a minimum # of hours, what ever. If training is that important to you and your orginization, your planning and budget should reflect it. Obvioulsy, the larger your organization, the better chance of having a more diverse in-house program.