Firefighter I & II - Topics Covered

[x635 4,066]

For conversational purposes, does anyone feel that there are topics that should be added, deleted, or are obsolete?

Is AVET covered under it yet?

[FF1 172]

No. Its another class

[ex-commish 490]

FAST, AVET, Building construction

[CFI609D 119]

If anything, time should be added to the programs for more hands-on "bread & butter" firefighting. Unfortunately the curriculum has expanded so much that instructors have barely enough time in FF1 to cover many of the fundamentals. Specifically, more time should be spent on:

1. Advancing lines

2. Stream selection

3. Forcible entry

4. Primary search

5. Principles & techniques of ventilation

As an instructor, I stress to all my FF1 students that they should look at the class as but a beginning of a proces that should continue throughout their fire service career. Also, FF2 IMHO should be mandatory for ALL interior structural firefighters as it reinforces the fundamentals barely covered in FF1. I also believe that any interior firefighter should successfully complete the classes mentioned above (AVET, FAST, Building Construction) as they are all mission critical to being a properly trained and combat ready firefighter. And in some areas not too far from NY this is indeed the case.

[JM15 386]

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

[CFI609D 119]

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

Agree, 30 years after Maryland and 25 years after Connecticut. But better late than never!

Another good start would be to get away from Home Rule, which allows municipalities and fire districts to set their own minimum training standards.

[FD123FD 5]

The Instruction of Firefighter I is a hot topic throughout NYS. In response to the initial post, AVET is a complete seperate class and is not touched on in Firefighter I. This is because it's considered a Firefighter II skill (yes, I know its not taught in FFII, It's at the Level of FFII). Should an AVET awarness be taught in FFI since the members will be responding to Auto Accidents as soon as they get in the department? Probably should be....BUT...at this time the NYS FFI is already at 87 hours of instruction. This is not nearly enough time to teach the topics that need to be covered. I see above that some are saying we need to match the National Statndard. That would be great...but you are realistically looking at 130 to 160 hours of instruction. Our Chiefs are complaining that 87 hours is to long, I can only immagine what would be said if the course hit that amount of hours. Now, I do think that you will see the NYS FFI be changed to meet the National Standards in the near future but it will not hit the 130/160 hour mark.

CFI609D is right on with the topics that need more time in the FFI course with the addition of Ladders. He is also correct when he says FFI should be looked at as a fundamental class for Firefighters to start their career in the fire service and they should continually strive to take additional training classes throughout their career.

I believe Officers need to play a bigger role in the training of their members. Participate in training with the members, help get new members ready for FFI (if students came ready it could save a good amount of time for other topics in FFI i.e. knowing how to put on PPE and familiarity with SCBA), post the Outreach Training Schedule and any additional training that is being offered regionally. Encourage the members to participate in these training sessions. The more training your members have, the better firefighters they become, a more of an asset to the fire department operation they are and the orginization becomes a better Fire Department.

All members of the fire service, no matter what their rank is should remember to remain a "student of the fire service". It's what will assist in keeping you alive and humble.