Clark County Fire & Rescue requires that all new firefighters receive training that meets or exceeds all requirements as set by NFPA Standard 1001, Firefighter I, and the Firefighter 1 standards as set by the Washington State Patrol, Fire Protection Bureau. New volunteer or part-time firefighters either attend the CCF&R academy or provide proof of training to the above standard.
New full-time firefighters are typically sent to an academy at either the State Fire Training Academy in North Bend or to the City of Vancouver's Training Academy. New hires who exceed this level of training may bypass this academy and go directly to shift for probationary training at the discretion of the training officer.
The volunteer recruit academy is a 12-week training program consisting of classroom and hands-on field application and training. The recruits train one night a week and all day on Saturdays. A total of 120 hours of training are received in the academy. The following subjects are covered during this initial training phase:
- Basic First Aid and CPR
- ICS Training
- Hazardous Materials Awareness
- Personal Protective Equipment
- SCBA's
- Safety
- Portable Extinguishers
- Ladders
- Fire hose, appliances, and streams
- Salvage and overhaul
- Water Supply
- Search and rescue
- Accident prevention
- Asbestos recognition
- Communications
- Forcible Entry
- Auto Extrication
- Building construction
- Ventilation
- Live fire training
Recruits who successfully complete the academy enter into the probationary training program that lasts the duration of their first year.
Clark County Fire & Rescue is scheduled to host the next Recruit Academy in 2009. If you would like additional information regarding our next Recruit Academy contact Chief Larry Bartel at 360-887-4609 or by .
