The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Shane Ray's "Rethinking Volunteer Firefighter Certification" article will make some waves...
The new superintendant of the South Carolina Fire Academy asks some tough question and offers some creative solutions to the problem of volunteer firefighter certification and just what that should mean.
Here's the article: http://www.firefighternation.com/article/training-0/rethinking-volu...
It is thought-provoking, to say the least. What do you guys think?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Don Catenacci on
-
WestPhilly,
I pity any community that would be so blind as to believe that 3 old ladies with buckets are firefighters and constitute a fire department.
In my opinion your example just carries this entire topic out to the point of ridiculousness.
-
Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
-
Don,
The little old lady bucket brigade was, of course, an exaggeration to make a point. All communities served by volunteer departments are entirely dependent on the level of commitment on the part of their citizens. That level of commitment may only allow for exterior-only firefighters. You can say it shouldn't be that way til the cows come home, but limited finances and/or limited commitment are the determining factors, not what should or shouldn't be.
-
Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
-
Not that I know of...I know I didn't delete anything.
-
Permalink Reply by Bob Callahan on
-
And that is something many people don't get.
I know of VFDs that run on 20K a year which covers insurance, gas and vehicle repair. No PPE. No equipment. Nothing else.
The simple fact is going interior requires adequate funding. And there are thousands of small rural VFDs that don't have that and honestly, never will.
-
-
AND Bobby,
If the community doesn't care enough to fund the fire department to the barest minimum of PPE and equipment why should anyone feel any obligation to be a member of that fire department? I have plenty of community spirit and that is why I serve on 2 POC FDs as well as be a career firefighter in a third FD. But I can tell you right now I would walk away quickly if I felt either POC FD was not adequately equipped with PPE and SCBA, and at the very least basic firefighting equipment.
As you yourself have said there is no requirement to be a firefighter in your community...
-
-
Actually no, that's not what I said.
I said there are no minimum training requirements in LA at the state level.
For a volunteer to come off probation on my combo department they must complete a skills checklist, composed of relevant FFI skills, complete a computer-based FFI course, pass a 100-question written test and complete NIMS 700-200. To me, that's a pretty fair set of requirements.
On my VFD they must complete the department 42-hour rookie course, which is composed of the 26-hour 1403 class plus department add-ons including search, self-rescue, vehicle fire operations, MVA operations, brush fire operations and burn time, take and pass haz-mat Awareness and complete NIMS 700-200.
Bottom line most rural VFDs in this area are not even close to adequately funded. Likely they never will be either.
-
-
No Bobby,
Apparently, you missed the fact that you said there is no requirement that you must be a firefighter. Not that your community has no requirements. You stated quite clearly that no one has to be a firefighter.
-
-
Yes, that is correct.
They can be interior firefighters, exterior firefighters or support personnel, who are not issued PPE are do not perform active fireground functions except water supply (if they choose). Some of the support personnel have EMS certs and respond to EMS calls.
The system works very well in both departments.
-
-
Don,
Apparently, the people in Bob's area do it due to their overwhelming sense of community spirit. They have so much community spirit that they help their neighbors as members of the fire department, even though the funding for better equipment is not present.
It is baffling why you keep claiming that the reason for some fire departments having better funding is that the community doesn't care. That is simply NOT the case for many of those communities that are in such poverty-stricken areas that the funding choice comes down to giving money to the fire department or feeding one's family. Feeding the family is going to win out every time. Your assumption that the lack of funding is due to a lack of caring is a false assumption.
The members of those fire departments don't walk away. They don't quit simply because things are not ideal or because their comminity doesn't have the financial or manpower resources to meet someone else's arbitrary standards. They hang in there and take care of their community the best they can, no matter what.
That makes them outstanding citizens in my book.
-
-
Here is a Firefighter Nation example of how so many VFDs struggle trying to keep the department running, let alone fund firefighter training.
-
Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
-
This aspect also sticks out from the same said post:
We are not run by a city or township, ect. We contract out with 2 townships and share our area with other departments. Our problem is this.... We are growing and very quickly. We have no money because our townships are stubborn and will not up our contract.
This is a dept (private entity for the most part if there is no affiliation for a community, but a contracted service) that is sharing terrirority with other departments and townships unwilling to up the contract despite growth. Seems to me there is much more to this picture than what is applicable to the discussion. This doesn't seem to be about a community so poor they can't afford anything, nor even that this is the only dept around....considering they are sharing the territory. This example seems to validate a merger/change funding setup etc, as opposed to being validation for this particular discussion.
-
-
Dunno, John. The fact that one FD is covering more than one community looks as if they've already gone the merger route.
Regardless, the fact that they do what they do with so little support is an example that their dedication is up there with anyone else's.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
