Fire Service Training

Firefighter Training

Phase One Acquistion of Knowledge
Phase One training is the initial training that firefighters receive when entering the fire service. Our course is cross mapped to meet all the national occupational standards and is broken into three sections.

Basic Skills
The firefighters are taught hose drills, how to use pumps and ladders, and health and safety information. Theoretical work is backed up with practical skills and an assessment ensures that all core skills have been accumulated in the first five weeks of the trainee course.

Community Fire Safety
Protecting the community is the primary role of the fire and rescue service and our trainees are given first class training to assist them in this role once they progress to Phase Two. The training is conducted with operational crews in the local community and involves home fire safety checks, smoke alarm fitting and providing advice to targeted groups.

Scenario Based Training
The final section of the course involves taking the trainees through the generic risk assessments and involves specialist training on structural collapse, confined space rescues, aircraft incidents, shipping and rail incidents. All the training is designed to ensure our firefighters have information to allow successful performance in any risk critical area.

Phase Two Application of Knowledge
Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) Phase 2 Firefighter Development
Following on from Phase One, firefighter development "Acquisition of knowledge and skills", firefighters progress onto Phase Two, "Application of knowledge and skills in the workplace to demonstrate competence".

The Phase Two period runs from the date firefighters leave the training centre until they have completed 24 months of service. In conjunction with this, firefighters also complete learning and development modules, which include regular theoretical and practical assessments.

The Phase Two application stage enables firefighters in development to demonstrate competence in the knowledge and skills attained in Phase One together with those from the Phase Two learning and development modules. Competence is measured against National Occupational Standards (NOS) Operations in the Community Level 3. These standards are the same as the ones used by Edexcel for the awarding of NVQ’s.

After 24 months service, and the successful completion of a final assessment, the firefighter will be deemed competent and progress onto Phase Three.

Phase Three Maintenance of Competence
Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) Phase 3 Firefighter Development.
Phase Three Firefighter Development is about the "Maintenance of Competence". Depending on the length of service, it is likely that the majority of firefighters will not have completed a Phase Two Development Programme.

All this means is that the knowledge skills and experience that the firefighter has acquired during their time in the fire service will deem them competent, at the point of entry, onto the Integrated Personal Development System helix i.e. Development Programme Phase Three. From this date however, firefighters will be required to maintain competence against the National Occupational Standards, Operations in the Community Level 3.
This will include:

• Discussions with the line manager about performance;
• Identifying training and development needs;
• Completing personal Development Plans (PDP’s) of how the needs/development will be achieved;
• Recording evidence generated by work based activity or through simulation as part of a personal portfolio;
• Phase Three will allow for line managers to identify individuals who they feel have the potential for the next role i.e. Crew Manager;
• Individuals who are identified as having the potential will be given the opportunity to develop into the next role before attending an Assessment Development Centre (ADC) where their suitability for the next role will be assessed;
• Individuals who wish themselves to aspire to the next role will be able to discuss their career path with their line manager. This discussion will be the basis for the formulation of a development plan;
• It is worth noting that even though firefighters may currently be in Phase Two or Three, they may periodically re-visit Phase One to acquire new knowledge and skills for example in a new piece of equipent. They then demonstrate their competence in using this new piece of equipment in the work place (Phase Two) and they then maintain this new competence during Phase Three.