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Our first firefighter
training of the season on April 9th was also an awards and appreciation
event, most notably honoring Andy Herskind, who has
just retired after 15 years of dedicated volunteer service as
Assistant Fire Chief in Hilt. Andy's wife, Carole Herskind,
was also recognized for her many years of service as a Board
member for Hilt, from which she has recently retired.
The appointment of David Lipking as the new Assistant
Chief in Hilt was announced, followed by a group recognition
of CalFire crew members who have assisted our firefighter and
medical trainings and other efforts; individual recognitions
of our emergency medical responders who have recently completed
that course, receiving either first-time certification or re-certification;
and a group recognition of all of our firefighters.
Andy was presented with a plaque commemorating
his long years of never-hesitating service, there were refreshments
with cake, many photos were taken, and filmmaker (and firefighter)
Alex Cox filmed the awards presentations throughout.
Alex has posted an edited four-minute-plus video
clip from his footage on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9RUtX6kUIw
("CRFD_01" - alexcoxfilms).
Some of the photos taken by other
volunteers are now available here on our website, at: Firefighter
Training - April 9th, 2010 - Awards & Photos.
[Note: Chuck Biegert, the newly appointed Assistant
Chief at the upper end of the valley for Colestin, was not able
to attend this event and is not included in the event photos.] |
Also on this page:
Firefighter Training &
Schedule 2010
1st Responder Medical Training 2010
General Firefighter Training
Information
Firefighters &
Training - Legal Issues
Driving Policy for Emergency Vehicles
Photo - 2005 Firefighters indoor
training
Firefighter Training 2010:
The start of firefighter training was postponed this
season until after the First Responder Medical course, held locally
in Hornbrook through COS (College of the Siskiyous).
Chief Steve Avgeris decided to suspend firefighter training
during the First Responder course in order to make it feasible for
as many of our firefighters as possible to attend, given the time
requirements for both this course and firefighter training. Our firefighters
are not required to take this course, but all are encouraged to, in
order to either gain or maintain certification status as a First Responder
(Emergency Medical Responder).
The course was originally scheduled to start on Sat.
January 9th but the start date had to be changed twice, to Sat. Feb.
13th, and then to Sat. February 20th. The uncertainty of the start
date delayed scheduling our regular firefighting training, in order
to avoid an overlap on the calendar.
Training Schedule for Colestin/Hilt:
June 20th, 2010
UPDATE: The 2010 Firefighter Training
Schedule is as follows:
"Those that are already volunteers and those
who wish to be":
At the Hilt Church at
6:00 pm on the following dates:
April 9th (Friday) at 7:00 pm -
one hour later due to Board meeting
April 16th (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
April 23rd (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
April 30th (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
May 7th (Friday) at 6:30 pm to 8:30
pm - one-half hour later due
to Board meeting beforehand
May 14th (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
May 21st (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
(No training May 28th.)
June 4th (Friday) at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
June 11th (Friday) at 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm -
one-half hour later due to Board meeting beforehand
June 18th at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Test on S-190 Wildland
Fire Behavior; fire shelter deployment practice; weather instruments
review; firefighting terms review; handlining review & practice.
June 25th at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm -
LAST TRAINING, EXCEPT FOR ENGINEERS; further Engineer Training to
be scheduled by arrangement. Communications equipment & use
- review & practice; firefighting equipment check-out; misc.
training wrap-up.
ANNUAL TRAINING IS REQUIRED for all
volunteers, including new AND current or previous volunteers. This
year's training will be conducted by our Fire Chief, Steve Avgeris.
Crew members of Cal Fire will also provide some of the training
sessions.
Any questions, call Steve Avgeris at 541-488-1768.
Training previously this season:
Offered by COS and
LOCALLY HELD:
FIRST RESPONDER MEDICAL
(EMS First Responder) (EMR) EMT 90 & EMT 91 (Refresher)
COURSE
SATURDAYS - FEB.
20TH through MARCH 27TH:
WHEN: 6 (six)
Saturdays starting February 20th through March 27th, from 9 AM to
6 PM (9 hours each week, for 54 hours total).
WHERE: The
R-Ranch in Hornbrook. (Hilt/Colestin fire district members
are carpooling in district vehicles.)
Instructor: Amy
Stacher.
Description:
(as per the syllabus:) "This course meets the Public Safety Training
Standards covered by the U.S. Department of Transportation curriculum
and is approved by the local Nor-Cal EMS agency. Both the lecture
and skills information required for First Responder training will
be taught in this class. If the student passes the written quizzes
and successfully completes all skills he/she will be eligible to take
the Nor-Cal First Responder certification exam. The First Responder
certification is valid for 2 years with Nor-Cal EMS agency."
Course Objectives:
(as per the syllabus:) "To develop and upgrade skills of all
individuals involved in providing emergency care to the sick or injured."
This course is being coordinated with the Colestin & Hilt fire
districts as well as Copco and CalFire, and is also open to the general
public. It is a hands-on course in addition to lecture material; no
prior experience is necessary.
The cost for those attending as fire district participants,
regardless of state of residence, is $60, plus a $14 materials fee;
the fire district is covering these fees. (Normally, there is a minimal
in-state enrollment fee of $20 per unit for those with CA addresses,
while the out-of-state fee for Oregon residents is $199 per unit,
or $597 for a 3-unit course such as this).
We are able to benefit from these reduced fees because
the course has been re-classified for fire district members as a "community
service" course. This means that fire district participants
will not receive college credit for the course, but will receive or
renew their national as well as local First Responder (Emergency Medical
Responder) certification upon full successful completion.
(Those who wish to receive the 3 units of college credit
must be registered as "general public" and all regular fees
apply and are the responsibility of the individual, not the fire district.)
For more info, call us at (541) 488-1768,
or see the COS course schedule under "recently added classes"
at: http://www.siskiyous.edu/schedules/Spring2010AddedClasses20091215.pdf,
course Ref. Section # 8457 (note that the dates listed have been
changed, as above), or see COS's Registration page at: http://www.siskiyous.edu/counseling/advising/howtoregister.htm,
which has phone numbers and links for registration and other questions.
ANNUAL TRAINING IS REQUIRED for all volunteers,
including new and current or previous volunteers. If you miss the
first training meeting, you can still play a part in helping the fire
district. You do not have to participate as a first-string firefighter
to be part of the crew – we are always in need of auxiliary
members for various support functions, which also require training.
We are all unpaid volunteers, and community participation is how we
survive as a fire district, and how the CRFD continues to offer fire
protection and firefighting services.
WHAT: CRFD / Hilt VFD trainings will be held with
CDF and Hornbrook VFD whenever possible. Training includes 4 hours
of Urban Wildland Interface training, and S130 and S190 Wildland training.
It is extremely detailed and required by law. Training also involves
some first responder - medical instruction and ICS training presented
by CDF.
The first training of the year covers essential paperwork (sign-ups
for those who are new, insurance and other legal forms for all firefighters
for this year, personal equipment & tool sign-out inventory, etc.),
a review of last season, and an overview of the training program for
the season before us.
WHO: All community members are welcome. Notices
were sent to all local residents as well as last year's participants
date for this year's training. Once training begins,
it may not be possible for newcomers to train as a fully qualified
firefighter for this season. However, we are always
in need of more new people from the community to join in our all-volunteer
efforts: as a firefighter, a medical first responder, base station
assistant operator, water tender driver, communications liason, backup
supplies and/or transportation provider, and many more support functions.
Please join us and contribute as you are able to. Those with questions
should talk to Steve.
HOW MANY HOURS: All firefighters and first responders
must complete a state-mandated minimum number of hours of training
prior to being eligible for dispatch on a district call-out. This
requirement applies to both new and previous participants, without
exception. Only those who attend all training sessions will automatically
meet this requirement for the upcoming fire season. Missed training
hours must therefore be made up (by arrangement with Steve).
Anyone who is already currently qualified by an alternate training
program, either professionally or in a volunteer-based department,
should discuss this with Steve Avgeris, to determine his/her status
relative to CRFD training needs.
WHEN: Training sessions normally will run through
May. Training dates are normally held every other Saturday from 6
to 8 pm at the Community Church building in Hilt, unless otherwise
announced.
