The Firefighter Classes you Should be Taking

firefighter classes

Here is an insert from my upcoming Ebook on how to get a job as a firefigther. Hope you like it.

If you plan on becoming a full-time firefighter then you’re going to be taking classes for the rest of your career. Whether they are firefighting classes, EMS classes, wildland classes, or any of the specialty skilled classes you’re going to be busy keeping up your skills or earning new certifications.

There are so many certifications that it might get hard to know which ones you should get and which ones you should wait for. I’ve been apart of interviews where some of the interviewees have higher certifications but less experience than the interviewers, which isn’t necessarily a good or impressive thing.

For every state might have different names for classes, the class itself is usually the same material. I am more familiar with the western United States and their classes so I will go over them in this book. Make sure to check with your state fire marshall website to determine what the names of your certifications are.

EMS

I’ve talked about the EMS classes before so I’m sure you might be familiar with them by now, but I’ll still give a quick overview of what you should be taking. There are 2 main classes that most aspiring firefighters take, The EMT-B and the EMT-P. The EMT-I class is only used in a handful of states and thus not taken by many. The prices, schedule, and timing of the classes all depend on where you plan on taking your class at.

These aren’t all the EMS classes you could take, just the main ones that are taken before getting a job as a firefighter.

CPR

The BLS for Healthcare Providers Course covers core material such as adult and pediatric CPR (including two-rescuer scenarios and use of the bag mask), foreign-body airway obstruction, and automated external defibrillation. For healthcare providers such as EMS personnel, physician assistants, doctors, dentists, nurses, and respiratory therapists who must have a credential (card) documenting successful completion of a CPR course.

EMT-Basic – (EMT-B)

This is the entry-level course to the Emergency Medical Service profession. The curriculum includes EMT roles and responsibilities, airway management, patient assessment, medical emergencies, anatomy and physiology, documentation, lifting and moving, and communications. Practical labs will be conducted. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be eligible to take the National Registry test and certify as an EMT in your state.

EMT-Intermediate (Advance) – (EMT-I)

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) is qualified in advanced emergency care by a competency-based training program of didactic, clinical, and a field internship. Competencies include but are not limited to the recognition, assessment, and management of medical and trauma emergencies. The Advanced EMT primarily provides prehospital emergency care to acutely ill or injured patients. The AEMT level has as its base the EMT program and has proven clinical skills and knowledge to support the skills in addition to the basic program. This level does not conflict or compete with the Paramedic level; it is another level that exists as a result of different skills being emphasized

EMT-Paramedic – (EMT-P)

The Paramedic Program prepares candidates for a career in EMS through its curriculum and excellence in education. At the completion of the course, the student shall have the cognitive and psychomotor skills to competently perform all skills of the EMT, Advanced EMT, plus advanced airway management, surgical cricothyrotomy, needle thoracostomy, electrocardiogram interpretation, cardiac defibrillation/cardioversion/external pacing, intravenous access, intraosseous infusion, and administration of a wide range of medications. The Paramedic Program is broken into three Phases; Didactic, Clinical, and Field Internship. ACLS, PALS, ITLS, and EMPACT certificate courses are incorporated throughout the program.

Fire Classes

firefighter classes

Most aspiring firefighters have a lot more firefighting certifications than EMS certifications when applying to a job. That’s because they’re a lot more of them, they are usually cheaper than EMS classes, and they are offered more often than EMS classes. Some of these certifications are obtained through fire academy and some are obtained after you actually get the job. Nevertheless, they all look good on a resume if you have them because it shows that you are a go-getter and like continuing your education.

Below is a list of the most common firefighting (mostly wildland) certifications applicants have before applying to a full-time position. If you only have a couple of these or even none, don’t be discouraged as you still will be able to get a job as a firefighter without them.

S-130 (Firefighter Training/Fire Behavior)

This course is designed to provide entry-level firefighters skills. This course addresses the foundational skills universal to all wildland firefighters. The material is broken into 12 online modules (one to three hours each) and a mandatory, instructor-led field day exercise. Each online module explains the concepts and skills that will be performed and evaluated on the field day exercise. Module 12 contains optional knowledge areas (pump operations, map and compass, fire investigation, and cultural resources) that are very useful concepts but not required due to time constraints.

S-190 (Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior)

Provides the student with wildland fire behavior knowledge applicable for safe and effective fire management activities (wildfires, prescribed fire, and fire use). This course introduces students to characteristics and interactions of the wildland fire environment (fuels, weather, and topography) that affect wildland fire behavior for safety purposes. This is the first formal wildland fire behavior training course the students will receive.

S-131 (Advanced Firefighting)

Is an eight-hour course designed to meet the training needs of the Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1). This course is designed to be interactive in nature. It contains several tactical decision games designed to facilitate learning the objectives and class discussion. Topics include fireline reference materials, communications, and tactical decision making.

S-134 (LCES)

The course will introduce factors affecting the start and spread of wildfire and recognition of potentially hazardous situations. Other topics to include situational awareness, basic communication responsibilities, the decision-making process, and teamwork principles in the wild land fire environment.

I-200 (Basic Incident Command System)

This course introduces students to the principles of the Incident Command System (ICS) associated with incident-related performance. Topics include leadership and management, a delegation of authority, management objectives, functional areas and positions, briefings, organizational flexibility, and transitions and transfers.

I-300 (Intermediate ICS)

Describe how the National Incident Management System Command and Management component supports the management of expanding incidents. Describe the Incident/Event Management process for supervisors and expanding incidents as prescribed by the ICS.

Implement the Incident Management process on a simulated Type 3 incident. Develop an Incident Action Plan for a simulated incident.

L-180    (Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service)

Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service is a basic human performance skills course. This course is designed as a 4-6 hour classroom experience. Its primary purpose is to establish an awareness of human performance issues and how they can impact fire service job performance. This course addresses human performance content that relates to the individual, including situation awareness, communication, decision making, risk management, and teamwork skills.

Like I said earlier, you don’t need any of these to get a job as a firefighter. They all look good on a resume though. I would start with the EMS classes first then get your fire classes out of the way. It all depends on what you have in mind for your future career goals.

The EMS classes are usually longer with an EMT class usually being around a semester long and a paramedic class being over a year long. Most of the fire classes/certifications can be done in a weekend and cost a lot less. Good luck with your classes, and have fun with them.

I got the class descriptions from the American Heart Association located at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

I look forward to inserting more parts from the Ebook. If you did enjoy it, don’t agree, or have other options then please comment below or let us know on out Facebook Group. Also, you can go on Facebook to enter our contest for some free prizes, Check it out HERE.Thanks for reading!

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