Women in the Fire Service UK event gains certification

by Featured NewsTraining

SFJ Awards, the UK fire and rescue services’ qualifications partner of choice, has announced it is certificating the 2022 Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS) Training and Development Event free of charge in a gesture of support for the not for profit’s commitment to raising skills and increasing gender equality.

The event, which took place over the course of three days at the Fire Service College in Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, saw women representing fire and rescue services from across the country attend a series of expert-led workshops.

Covering a range of contemporary issues in fire and rescue services, delegates deepened their understanding of everything from mental health and racial equality to hazmat incidents and fire safety in commercial buildings.

Facilitated by Lancashire Fire & Rescue’s Jenny Nangle and more, SFJ Awards’ involvement provides free, independent recognition for delegates attending a range of workshops, each designed to enhance learning and benefit delegates in their future careers.

Candace Miller, Executive Director of SFJ Awards, commented: “SFJ Awards is a long-time admirer and supporter of WFS and their work in enabling women to enter and thrive in the many fantastic careers available in fire and rescue services.

“To achieve gender equality in fire and rescues services, it is vital to create learning and development opportunities such as this, and we are delighted to support this annual event returning after a two-year hiatus following Covid.

“The programme is unique insofar as it provides a safe space for learners to share their experiences and exchange ideas, whilst acquiring solid evidence of quality learning for ongoing career developments.”

Caroline Anderson, Fire and Rescue Service Crew Manager at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue and WFS Vice-Chair, said: “Working with SFJ Awards has been such a positive experience. It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Candace and her team to champion our women in Fire and Rescue.

“As a leading provider of fire sector qualifications, we are delighted SFJ Awards are kindly supporting us again this year through provision of Certificates of Attendance for a number of our workshops at our 20th national training and development event through recognised certification.

“We have similar aims and ambitions, to increase confidence, raise the standards in skills, and support the many types of people and roles in the sector.”

Members of WFS are of all gender and, come from all roles across the Fire and Rescue Service – from firefighters and control staff, administrative and support staff and senior officers, to members of airport, defence and works fire services.

Online courses to reduce wildfire risk to property launched by NFPA

by Featured NewsTraining

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is helping serve the need for information and knowledge toward wildfire safety with the launch of two new online learning courses thanks to a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from FEMA.

Developed with the help of wildfire safety experts and based on the latest structure ignition research, the new courses are hoped to reach millions of Americans living and working in areas prone to wildfire, motivating them to take action to help reduce structure loss and community devastation.

The new courses supplement NFPA’s wildfire safety programs, including the national Firewise USA Recognition Program, and support the tenets of its Outthink Wildfire policy initiative by dramatically increasing public access to wildfire risk reduction education.

“There are nearly 45 million American homes at high risk to damage from wildfire, and many people in these areas have no easy access to risk reduction training or education,” said NFPA Wildfire Division Director Michele Steinberg.

“Digital delivery can reach millions directly, helping expand their knowledge of wildfire causes and disaster prevention strategies. Most importantly, the trainings engage people in safety actions long before a fire starts, spurring much needed risk-reduction measures at the property and neighborhood levels.”

Reducing Wildfire Risk to Property: Protecting Your Home or Business

This course is designed to educate homeowners, business owners, and property managers on the key factors that determine risk to property from wildfire, steps they can take to protect their homes and businesses, and tips on how to share the information with other community members. An Individual Property Protection Plan is built into the course, which offers tailored, practical steps to help prevent the destruction of property.

The course also comes with a mobile app, the “NFPA Wildfire Risk Simulator” that includes an interactive 3D and augmented reality (AR) tool illustrating wildfire risk to structures. Users can select the environment, type of structure, and other details that most closely match their own scenario. As the simulated wildfire approaches, users will see the variables that help contribute to the destruction of their virtual home or building. Based on this learning, users can then adjust those variables for a more successful outcome.

Reducing Wildfire Risk to Property: Professional Online Training

This course is designed for wildfire mitigation professionals who want to increase their knowledge and confidence in evaluating wildfire risk in their communities and effectively communicating with property owners and community leaders.

The two-hour self-guided online training includes dynamic videos, animations, and graphics that illustrate key concepts of wildfire spread, structure ignition, and risk reduction. Interactive exercises help users practice how to communicate risk and mitigation options to home and business owners and guide them to take effective steps to protect their property.

This course provides continuing education units that can support job requirements as well as the maintenance of the NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS) credential.

To learn more about reducing wildfire risk to property and to register for these free courses, visit nfpa.org/wildfirepreparedness.