| FIRE FIGHTER I ACADEMY ROCKS-ON IN EDMOND |
| by Stan Dunham |
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Twenty-four candidates from 15 Oklahoma communities completed OSFT’s 136-hour Fire Fighter I Academy, April 4th at the Edmond F.D. Training Center. Rigorously demanding and physically challenging, the program utilized Edmond’s modern, state-of-the-art fire training facility to carry out its performance-based learning objectives.
The two-week program is ideally suited for candidates needing to complete Fire Fighter I certification training during a relatively short time period. Students are given credit for 40 of the 136 hours through pre-class reading assignments and independent study. Ninety-six hours are spent training at the academy location, while according to Acting Program Coordinator Jeremy Bivin, only six of the remaining ninety-six hours are spent inside the classroom. “What were once classroom portions of the Fire Fighter I Academy are now incorporated into the skills training,” says Bivins.
OFST’s academy modifications are mainly a function of market demand. Whereas the “Fire Fighter Outreach Academy” delivers to small, volunteer and rural fire department communities, the more traditional two-week academy draws candidates from around the state to a well-equipped, central location. The goal of both programs is essentially the same, which is providing high quality, IFSAC-accredited training opportunities to all Oklahoma fire fighters—no matter the department size.
Bivin cites key partnerships with the likes of Edmond Fire Department as another factor in the program’s continuing improvement. He and other OFST instructors involved in the fire fighter academies extol the modern classroom and field training facilities that Edmond Training Center offers. OFST’s Professional Skills Center in Stillwater will continue as the mainstay facility for future fire academies.
For more information on Fire Fighter I & II Academy offerings, contact Bob Allen, Program Manager at (800) 744-5727.
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