NVFC awarded grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation

by Featured NewsTraining

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the association representing the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services, has received a grant for $25,000 from the Motorola Solutions Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions.

This is the seventh consecutive grant the NVFC has received from the Motorola Solutions Foundation to support training initiatives.

NVFC has said it will use the grant to prepare first responders across the US to serve their communities in a safer, more efficient manner through online and in-person training courses.

The grant will enable the NVFC to develop a new course as well as offer existing courses in its catalogue for free to the volunteer emergency services community. The training covers critical topics including health, safety, preparedness, leadership development, and retention and recruitment, among others.

NVFC chair Steve Hirsch said: “Training is consistently the number one resource that our members request. With the varying schedules of volunteer firefighters and limited resources of departments, online training is a pivotal tool in enhancing the knowledge and awareness of responders on an array of topics that will increase their safety and effectiveness.

“We are grateful to the Motorola Solutions Foundation for supporting the NVFC and our efforts to provide greater training access to our nation’s volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers.”

Karem Perez, executive director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation added: “The Motorola Solutions Foundation is proud to partner with organizations like the NVFC that share our values and passion for driving positive change in the community.

“We believe in the work that the NVFC is doing and look forward to seeing their continued impact.”

NFCC launches Supervisory Leadership Development Programme

by Featured NewsTraining

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has launched the Supervisory Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) with 20 free licences available for UK fire and rescue services.  

Developed by members of the Supervisory Leadership Development project, in collaboration with CMI (Chartered Management Institute) and led by Project Executive Chris Blacksell, SLDP is a standardised first-line leadership development programme for fire and rescue services.  

The SLDP is aligned to the NFCC Leadership Framework, the NFCC Core Learning Pathway, and the Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard – Team Leader or Supervisor.  

The programme aims to develop people-focused leaders, who are empowering, collaborative and inclusive in their approach, and is designed for every new, existing, and aspiring supervisory leader across all areas of the UK fire and rescue service, regardless of role, contract type, or location.  

As part of a two-year contract with CMI, NFCC is able to offer 20 free licenses per service, per year.  

SLDP is a self-directed development programme, accessed through an online portal (NFCC ManagementDirect), and provides 24/7 access to: NFCC Leadership Framework self-assessment, Supervisory Leadership Development Programme, aligned to the NFCC Leadership Framework and NFCC Resource Library, containing over 24,000 high-quality learning materials. 

Chris Blacksell, Project Executive and CFO of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It has been a pleasure to lead the Supervisory Leadership Development Programme to fruition, and I’d like to thank all those who have helped to develop this important product. It truly has been built by fire sector specialists, for the fire sector.  

“The Project Board view first-line leadership as a critical point in an individual’s career where they begin to develop their leadership styles. This programme sets a strong foundation to foster positive behaviours that will remain throughout the leadership pipeline.  

“Inclusive in its approach, this programme is designed for existing, new, and aspiring supervisory leaders, regardless of role or contract type, and I’m proud of what we’ve collectively managed to achieve.” 

Mark Hardingham, Chair of the NFCC shared his thoughts about the launch: “We know that Leadership is a continual area of focus for fire and rescue services. Leadership programmes enable all colleagues to reach their full leadership potential and provide for excellent fire and rescue services for the public.  

“The Supervisory Leadership Development Programme is one initiative from the NFCC’s Leadership Programme which helps to address these recommendations by unlocking and nurturing talent across all FRS staff.  

“Together with other workstreams being delivered by the Leadership Programme, such as the Core Code of Ethics, the Coaching and Mentoring Portal, the Talent Management Toolkit and Direct Entry Scheme, we have a strong offering for UK fire and rescue services to support them in identifying and developing excellent future leaders.” 

Recruits graduate from Accra Fire Academy and Training School

by Featured NewsTraining

The latest round of recruits have graduated from the Fire Academy and Training School in Accra, Ghana, after six weeks of intensive training on firefighting.

The 525 recruits, comprised 278 males and 247 females, who went through the various stages of the process, including the pre-recruitment medical examination and the selection processes.

Candidates were exposed to the rudiments of firefighting required to manage and prevent undesired fires, and were provided with the required firefighting knowledge and skills through a hands-on approach to develop their operational competence.

The training was designed to strengthen their physical fitness and mental alertness through daily physical training and foot drills. The reviewing officer for the passing out ceremony was the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery.

The Overall Best Recruit was awarded to Fafali Anang who also won the Best in Academics.

Emmanuel Logah won the Best in Foot Drills, while Mawuse Jemima Daliesor won the Commandant Award.

Mr Dery commended the recruits for their discipline and comportment during the period of training. He said: “Remember to carry your profession with pride, and represent the service and by extension Ghana as a true firefighter, ready to save your country from life-threatening situations whenever you are called to duty.”

The minister also commended the efforts of the leadership of the service for the innovative methods of educating the public on the dangers of fire.

Delhi Fire Service trains women in basic firefighting techniques

by Featured NewsTraining

Delhi Fire Service has launched an initiative that trains women in JJ clusters to assist its firefighters in controlling emergency situations.

The Fire Department, BSES and Mehar Charitable Trust, an NGO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an idea to create awareness and train people to control fire incidents using the available resources at home.

Upon completing the training, the participating women were given a ‘Main bhi firefighter hoon’ (I too am a firefighter) certificate. The DFS has so far trained two batches of 200 women each from two JJ colonies.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Chief Atul Garg, said a detailed record of every woman trained in basic firefighting techniques will be maintained by the DFS so that they can be called for help during emergencies.

He added: “The purpose is to make the women feel confident and help fire tenders reach the spot by guiding them about alternate routes in case of emergencies. The trained women can also help by clearing the roads for DFS vehicles and also apprise the firefighters of the nearest sources of water.”

Nargis Begam, who undertook the training programme, said she enrolled myself in a training programme by Delhi Fire Service to assist firefighters when fires break out. “I can now teach others how to tackle such situations,” she said.

The NGO, in coordination with the DFS, plans to reach out to women through Residential Welfare Associations in all the JJ clusters across the city.

Fire Protection Research Foundation to host Fire and Life Safety webinar series

by Featured NewsTraining

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), has announced a free ‘Fire Protection Research Foundation 40th Anniversary Webinar Series’ in support of its four decades of facilitating research in support of the fire and life safety community.

The two-day series will be held August 24 – 25, 2022. The webinar will focus on current Foundation research priorities and other topics related to fire and life safety. 

The first day will see webinars on reducing residential fire losses, strategies or community resilience and data collection and data analytics to inform policy. The second day will cover hazards of new materials and systems, increasing effectiveness and reliability of safety systems and firefighting and safety effectiveness.

The full agenda can be downloaded here and registration for the free to attend event can be accessed here.

Since 1982, the Fire Protection Research Foundation has collaborated with organizations around the world to investigate emerging fire, electrical, and related safety hazards, and solutions.

Its work includes aiding in the development of major domestic and international research programs that address an ever-changing world and the increasing challenges to fire safety in the built environment; industry challenges such as data collection and data analytics to inform policy, hazards of new materials and systems, strategies for community resilience, firefighter safety, and more.

California receives $21.5 million for forestry and fire-safety jobs training

by Breaking NewsTraining

The Sierra Nevada and Cascade regions have received $21.5 million in funding for a project that is set to strengthen the infrastructure for workforce development by investing in forestry and fire safety jobs.

The project, funded by the federal Good Jobs Challenge, is being rolled out by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, California State University Chico, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Sierra Business Council.

The project, which will be carried out over four years, will help train and place qualified workers into high-quality jobs in the forestry sector, responding to urgent needs to build economic and climate resilience in California’s forested, rural communities.

Five community colleges – Butte College, Feather River College, Lake Tahoe Community College, Reedley College and Shasta College – California State University Chico, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Sierra Business Council are partnering on the project. 

Susie Kocher, UC Cooperative Extension forestry and natural resources advisor for the Central Sierra said: “There is so much work to be done in California to increase the resilience of forests and communities to wildfires and climate change, and there are just not enough trained workers to do all this work.

“A recent assessment estimated upcoming shortages of 6,000 fire managers, 4,000 conservation scientists and foresters, 7,000 loggers and 1,500 utility line clearance technicians. California desperately needs skilled workers to fill those jobs to protect and rebuild communities in rural parts of the state. And these are well-paying jobs with benefits.”

Keetha Mills, president of the Foundation for California Community Colleges, said: “We are honored to be selected as one of the Good Jobs Challenge award recipients alongside a talented group of partners serving rural communities, including several of our California community colleges.

“This work is critical to help Californians access good jobs, especially as we help our state respond to the urgent needs of climate change and support economic growth in regions greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.”

Workplace fire prevention campaign launched by Government of Punjab Pakistan

by Featured NewsTraining

A campaign calling for the need to follow fire prevention and safety measures at the workplace has been launched by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) with the collaboration of the Labour and Human Resource Department (L&HRD), the government of Punjab according to local reports.

The awareness campaign focused on fire prevention and safety was launched organized by GIZ and L&HRD during the “Strategic Dialogue on Promotion of Sustainable Textiles” Textile Industry Sustainability Forum (TISF) to educate the workforce regarding taking preventive and curative measures to prevent fire incidents and raise awareness of the occupational and safety hazards in the workplace.

Produced in partnership with Happening Intl, the awareness campaign has been designed to highlight the various occupational and safety hazards at the workplace and point the factory workers and managers towards workable solutions.

Speaking at the occasion Secretary (L&HRD) Liaqat Ali Chatha said that such kinds of initiatives would play a pivotal role in the improvement of safety measures. He said platforms where topics such as occupational safety and health, change management, modernization, digitalization, and behaviour change are not only discussed but planned out to achieve concrete, measurable results, and regular progress.

Romina Kochius Project Manager GIZ Textile Cluster said that L&HRD made positive efforts in creating awareness regarding occupational safety and health and the investments and innovation of the private sector in improving working conditions and ensuring decent work demonstrates their commitment and fervour for this field.

And Faisal Zahoor, DG Labour Welfare Punjab also addressed the participants, saying that the Labour department has in the past few years taken several initiatives to improve the working conditions of its workforce.

Life safety training events announced by C-TEC

by Featured NewsTraining

Life-safety systems manufacturer, C-TEC, has announced plans to roll out a series of free CPD training events for people working in the fire safety, housing, consulting or risk assessment sectors. The events are designed to boost knowledge of the latest legislation, technology and trends. 

Worth four hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) time, they will be held at seven locations across the UK from September to November 2022 and feature seminars titled:

  • Integrated Fire Alarm Solutions for High Rise Residential Buildings
  • A Guide to BS 8629-2019 Evacuation Alert Systems
  • Reducing false alarms – how the type, location and settings of different fire detectors can significantly reduce the incidence of unwanted alarms
  • Hearing Assistance Solutions: The Route to Equality Act Compliance

The seminars will run from 10am to 3pm with registration starting at 9.30am. Refreshments and lunch will also be provided.

Said Andy Green, C-TEC’s Marketing Manager: “We are delighted to be launching another series of CPD events which are designed to be of interest to anyone involved in the specification and installation of life safety systems particularly housing professionals, fire engineers and consultants. Demand is expected to be high so we would advise anyone who is interested to register their interest quickly.”

Chubb launches accelerated development programme for Fire and Security industry

by Featured NewsProjectsTraining

Chubb, a UK provider of fire-safety and security solutions, has launched an accelerated development programme designed to attract and train new industry-entrants in partnership with Zitko Talent, a recruitment agency for the Fire and Security industry.

The accelerated development programme will last approximately 18 weeks, starting with alternating blocks of technical training, field experience and manufacturer-led certified product training. Trainees will finish the programe as certified Fire and Security engineers, equipped with the knowledge required to work within Chubb’s installation and maintenance teams.  

The programme will leverages Zitko’s expertise to attract and select candidates. As part of the process, specialist psychometric testing is to identify outstanding technical and learning potential. Chubb will then select and employ trainees from the pool, with manufacturers and educators contributing around 18-weeks of technical education and certified product training; all tailored to Chubb’s needs. 

The Zitko Talent team administers the entire programme on behalf of Chubb, while supporting/mentoring trainees. 

Andrew Collinson, Operations Director for Electronic Security, Chubb UK, said: “We have developed our own entry level engineers in-house before and some of our most successful people began with us this way. 

The accelerated development programme takes this to the next level. I believe it will be a significant source of talent; giving us people who will progress with us long-term. The programme’s been designed as a gateway for those who may or may not have previous engineering experience. 

The key requirements are ‘aptitude and attitude’; qualities which recruitment partner Zitko Talent will assess with their proven selection process.  By focusing on these qualities, Chubb aims to unearth hidden talent, especially among groups who are traditionally underrepresented in the industry”. 

Zitko Group’s Managing Director, George Zitko, commented: “Chubb has an apprentice scheme already, but they’ve recognised the value of the Talent approach. That is, developing people with transferable skills and giving them a pathway into the industry”. 

NFPA launches course to educate on water-based fire suppression systems

by Featured NewsTraining

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced the launch of a new Certified Water-Based Systems Professional (CWBSP) Learning Path to help fire safety professionals prepare for an advanced certification exam in the design and review of safe and effective water-based fire suppression systems.

The CWBSP Learning Path will give eligible certification candidates the opportunity to increase their proficiency as a water-based systems designer and prepare for the Certified Water-Based Systems Professional (CWBSP) exam, available to take online or at hundreds of in-person testing sites worldwide.

To earn the certification candidates must have a minimum of five years of relevant work experience and obtain an attestation from a supervisor or employer.

Students who participate in the CWBSP Online Learning Path can review the layout and design requirements for fire suppression systems, including sprinkler, standpipe, and underground systems.

They will also be able to examine design considerations for fire pumps, water tanks, and hangers. Interactive exercises, real-life scenarios, and short videos will give students the opportunity to reinforce what they have learned.

The CWBSP Learning Path includes a practice test component and a final Capstone activity so students can assess their progress before taking the exam.

All participants of the CWBSP Learning Path will receive one year of access to exclusive online content and lessons developed by NFPA experts who have an intimate understanding of codes and standards and how they work together to support professional credentialing.

Dan Pickel, NFPA director of certification and accreditation, commented: “The NFPA Certified Water-Based Systems Professional credential was created in 2018 after discussions with leaders in the field of water-based systems design who indicated a strong desire for a credential that will assess and verify the knowledge and expertise necessary to be a water-based systems designer.

“The CWBSP was then developed in consultation with professionals from a wide variety of specialties, which helped us to create effective content and context for this new certification offering that can help professionals meet and exceed their career goals and give employers a benchmark to hire the most qualified candidates.”