How does your department handle training that leads to state certifications? Do youi conduct such training "in-house", or do you send individuals or groups to a local "fire academy? Does your department require the individual to foot the reimbursable tuition costs up front, or does the department pay all costs?
We do both. We train in house each week following state objectives. In addition we encourage individuals to attend weekend "area schools" put on by counties and a state agency around our region. Finally, we occasionally send individuals to Texas A&M Summer Fire School, which amounts to an academy. All outside training is reimbursed by the Texas Forest Service, which administers state fire money for all volunteer departments. Our members are certified by the state as basic, intermediate or advanced. That's reportedly about to change, though, to FF1 and FF2.
Are department requires all new firefighters to advance to FFII. EMS certs are not required but most take them.
You can be on the fire dept with EMS cert only but you can only work rehab on the fire ground And of course go on EMS runs.
Our department pays all costs, but if the the training is available at a local station and sponsored by the academy instructors, they definitely go for it. Many of the county's fire academy programs are sent out to stations or we can ask them to come out to do the course.
Of course, some of us more motivated individuals who want the training take the initiative to do the scheduling and paperwork, so we just get signatures and go to the academy ourselves.
The Bureau does the recruitment, training goes on at the Fire National Training Institute for the paid FF. The volunteers only get their training from local gov't offices, some NGOs sponsor training for the volunteers too.