The Charles City Fire Department will offer a free course for anyone interested in becoming a firefighter or simply learning more about fire safety.
“What we’d like to do is generate interest in the public for Firefighter 1 training,” said Marty Parcher, firefighter and lead instructor.
The first class will be at 6 p.m. next Wednesday at the fire department, and will be held at the same time each week into April. Parcher said each class will cover one chapter from the course’s textbook.
“There are hands-on parts of the class too,” said firefighter and emergency medical technician Jason Webster. “So it’s not just sitting behind a book all the time.”
The course is a preparation lesson for anyone pursuing Firefighter 1 certification. Documented training or certification will be state mandated in 2010 to work at a live fire or participating in live fire training.
“Firefighter 1 is like a basic firefighting course,” Parcher said.
He said the course will teach “everything from basic firefighting technique to building construction, forcible entry and hydraulics.”
Webster said the course will also teach everyday fire safety, including classes of fire extinguishers and their use.
“(Attendees) will definitely come away with a much broader sense of fire safety,” Parcher said.
He said other fire safety topics included overloading electrical devices and safe placement of various objects.
Parcher said the class can also help people determine whether or not they want to pursue firefighting.
“It gives them more insight into what it takes and what it is,” he said.
Parcher said the department hopes the course will fuel the interest of would-be volunteers.
“This just is for everybody who isn’t on a fire department yet to come in and learn what it’s all about,” he said.
In the past, the fire department has required that its volunteers be Firefighter 1 certified within two years of joining the department. However, with the state mandate looming, Parcher said, “we want to get a jump on that.”
Webster said the class could give potential volunteers an advantage at being selected for the department.
“So people coming in April to take the physical agility test, if they took the class, would have a better chance of getting on than just a regular volunteer,” he said.
Parcher explained that attending the course or all of its classes were not required to obtain Firefighter 1 certification. However, he said the training the class provides, “makes it a lot easier for people who don’t have any experience.”
Passing a written and practical test are required for certification. The tests cost about $50, Parcher said, which is at the test-taker’s expense.
Parcher stressed the need for volunteer firefighters. The department currently has eight full-time firefighters and 27 volunteers.
“You can’t overstate the importance of volunteers. You couldn’t do this job in this area without volunteers,” he said.
Volunteers and full-time firefighters train together twice a month. Parcher said the groups work well together, and work as one at a fire scene.
“Out there, we’re all firefighters,” he said.
The first Firefighter 1 class on Wednesday will be an orientation to the course, Parcher said. He said anyone interested can call the fire department ahead of time at (641) 257-6313 or just show up the night the classes begin.
Contact Jennifer Meyer at
[email protected] or (641) 228-3211 ext. 21
