"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin
General Firefighter Training Information |
Firefighter Training Archives
2022 Firefighter Training
Posted 5/10/22:
Fire Chief Steve Avgeris will hold an introductory business meeting on May 20 at 7 p.m. at the Hilt church: "All current volunteers as well as any new people who may be interested, please attend."
The meeting will last approximately 1 hr.
The introductory meeting will cover basics, provide an overview of training, what is required of volunteers, essential paperwork, and brief individual consultations.
Further training meetings will be scheduled after the introductory meeting, based on attendance on May 20th and on volunteer firefighter specific training needs.
UPDATE: Due to the extremely low attendance at the May 20th meeting, regular trainings have not been scheduled; instead, trainings are being conducted on a one-on-one basis.
We are in desperate need of more volunteers this year. We are down to a core crew of a mere few people.
It is unfair that only a few residents should bear the responsibility for the whole community.
We can only remain effective with more community participation.
We need all able-bodied people to step up and participate. There are also positions for those "not as able-bodied." Anyone with medical training is especially welcome.
To participate as a volunteer, and for
any questions, contact Chief Steve Avgeris:
541-488-1768 or (cell#) 541-821-8339.
CRFD's Coronavirus/COVID-19 Policy:
CRFD will comply with CDC recommendations and laws regarding COVID safety as well as those adopted by the State of Oregon in dealing with duties and interactions of CRFD personal and the public.
General Firefighter Training Information
Firefighters & Training - Legal Issues
Driving Policy for Emergency Vehicles
FIREFIGHTING TRAINING INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS:
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 Friday from
6 to 8 pm at the Community Church building in Hilt, unless otherwise
announced.
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FIREFIGHTING AND LEGAL ISSUES:
PLEASE NOTE: Only trained firefighters will be allowed to work
with the CRFD on the firelines. Those who show up to fight a fire
but are not trained, certified firefighters and/or have not participated
in CRFD's current firefighter training program will be asked to
leave. We hope to have everyone's understanding and cooperation
on this.
All of our current firefighters are covered by mandatory insurance.
Our insurance does not cover anyone who is not a CRFD-trained
firefighter. There are other safety liability issues as well.
If you want to be one of our firefighters, make it a point to
join and attend training.
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DRIVING POLICY for EMERGENCY VEHICLES:
Also, as of May, 2008, CRFD's new Safety Committee has developed
a Driving Policy Agreement for those driving
our District's Emergency Response vehicles.
This document must be signed by all participating
volunteers before they can be permitted to drive our vehicles.
(If you attend firefighter training, this form will be provided,
along with the other necessary paperwork you'll need to sign.)
You can view
and print a copy of this Agreement (PDF format, 2 pages).
A non-PDF (scanned) version is viewable here, as follows:
Previous Training - Archives:
2021 Firefighter Training
2020 Firefighter Training
2019 Firefighter Training
2018 Firefighter Training
2017 Firefighter Training
2016 Firefighter Training
2015 Firefighter Training
2014 10-Minute Hands-Only CPR (community training offer)
2013 Firefighter Training
2012 Firefighter Training
2012 EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) Training
2011 Wildfire Training
2011 EMR Northstate Prehospital Conference
2011 EMR Certification Update
2010 Firefighter Training - Awards Night
2010 Firefighters & Medical 1st Responders Photo
2010 Firefighter Training & Schedule
2010 1st Responder Medical Training
2005 Firefighters indoor training Photo
2021 Firefighter Training
Posted 4/20/21: Firefighter Training for the 2021 fire season will start on Friday, May 14th.
The start date has been delayed in order to provide participants time to get the Covid vaccine ahead of training. Participants who elect not to be vaccinated will need to sign a waiver for the district.
The first meeting is essential and involves an overview, insurance paperwork, and other basics. This meeting begins at 6:00 pm and will end by 8:00 pm if not earlier. It will be held indoors at the Hilt Church. Social distancing procedures will be observed (6-foot distancing and masks) as per our Coronavirus/COVID-19 Policy (see below). Anyone not in compliance will be requested to leave.
Training meetings after this will be mostly hands-on, outside, and will involve training with equipment, including time behind the wheel for engineers. Further training dates, times and locations will be set at each training with consideration for participant training needs and schedules.
Since the Coronavirus prevented us from safely conducting training last year, it is essential that we do training this year.
Also, we are again in desperate need of more volunteers. A number of older participants have retired, other previous volunteers have moved away, and our core crew is a mere few people. It is also unfair that only a few residents should bear the responsibility for the whole community. We can only remain effective with more community participation.
This season, given current drought conditions, could be extremely serious. We need all able-bodied people to step up and participate. There are also positions for those "not as able-bodied." And anyone with medical training is especially welcome - we need more first responders!
To join training or for
any questions, contact Chief Steve Avgeris:
541-488-1768 or (cell#) 541-821-8339.
CRFD's Coronavirus/COVID-19 Policy:
CRFD will comply with CDC recommendations and laws regarding COVID safety as well as those adopted by the State of Oregon in dealing with duties and interactions of CRFD personal and the public.
3/15/20 UPDATE:
FIREFIGHTER TRAINING CANCELLED FOR NOW
Training was slated to start on Friday, March 20th, 2020, and run every other week through spring into fire season. However, concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID 19), as well as Influenza Type A and Type B (both are currently prevalent in Ashland), have forced public service agencies to cancel group events that could hasten the spread of these viruses; a recent fire interagency meeting has specifically advised against holding firefighter trainings.
We don't know at this time if it will be possible to convene training sessions later in the spring, or not. What is known is that the coronavirus "curve" of the number of identified cases has not "peaked" yet - or, as health officials are saying, "It's going to get worse before it gets better." We will post any updates to this information if and when the situation changes.
For now, we are all advised to follow good basic hygiene practices, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, practice "social distancing" and avoid crowded places, and stay informed.
For more information about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and resource links, see our Bulletin page.
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CRFD Firefighters at Training, 19 April 2019. Fire Chief Steve Avgeris in foreground.
Photo courtesy of firefighter Alex Cox (far left), who used his camera on a timer
that he tells us was operated by his dog, Pearl.
For a closer view, click or tap on the photo above (8-plus MB; allow time to load page).
2019 VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TRAINING:
CRFD's Volunteer Firefighter Training for 2019 is in progress, as of Fri. April 5th, held every
other week up to the start of fire season (and beyond, if feasible.) Postcard notices have also been sent out to residents.
The schedule dates have been set as follows:
| 2019 Firefighter Training Schedule
All sessions are held on Fridays at the Hilt Community Church
from 6:00 to approx. 8:00 PM unless otherwise announced. |
| April 5 |
Organizational paperwork & overview. |
| April 19 |
Inside; firefighting concepts & practices class. |
| May 3 |
Inside; firefighting concepts & practices class. |
| May 17 |
Outside hands-on training. |
| June 7* |
Outside hands-on training. *Note the date change from May 31. |
| June 14 |
Outside hands-on training. |
CalFire members will conduct the earlier portion of this year's training sessions
and will include structure fire protection instruction, followed by regular local trainings.
The first meeting at the Hilt Church is an overview and necessary paperwork.
All sessions thereafter cover firefighting concepts with an increasing emphasis on hands-on training.
You can learn more about firefighter training in the archives below.
ATTENTION all previous volunteers who are NOT continuing:
Please be sure that all of your gear and tools belonging to the fire district are turned in. We need all supplies for current volunteers.
ALERT: A message from CRFD Board Chair Peggy Moore:
We continue to need more local residents to step up as volunteer firefighters.
We are always extremely grateful to those who give their time and effort to train and respond to fire calls. However, we had fewer volunteers in training last year as some older volunteers have opted not to continue, and the number of new members has remained limited.
We are a volunteer fire district: this means that local fire protection is up to us.
Other fire agencies responding from outside of our district have a longer initial response time,
and while they support us in fighting wildfires and protecting forest lands, they are not responsible
for structure fires within our district - that is our job.
This is particularly true now that we have been recently reclassified by the ISO (Insurance
Services Office) as a "Class 8B": our homeowner's insurance rates are now lower, but in order
to keep this upgraded rating, we must respond with at least five firefighters to any structure fire incident,
without fail. [Complete information about this change is posted at the top of our Bulletin page.]
If we - those of us who live here - don't step up, then we will have no effective local fire protection, our
homeowner's insurance rates will go back up, and some people may not even be able to get fire insurance. But most of all, without the
rapid initial response time that our local firefighters provide, we will all be much more vulnerable as a
community to a major fire.
Our firefighters are a very dedicated, able crew, but it is potentially dangerous and sometimes
impossible for only a few volunteers to respond to every fire or medical call. More than this, it is
irresponsible on the part of others to expect the same volunteers to do all of the work.
We can only remain effective with community participation. To join training or for
questions, contact Chief Steve Avgeris:
541-488-1768 or (cell#) 541-821-8339.
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2018 FIREFIGHTER TRAINING:
CRFD's Volunteer Firefighter Training started on Fri., April 27th. The first meeting at the Hilt Church covered an overview and necessary paperwork.
Actual training began with the second meeting on May 11th, continuing every other Friday at the Hilt Church from 6:00 to 8:00 pm: May 25th, June 8th, June 22nd, and July 20th. (No training on July 6th - holiday weekend). CalFire was involved in some of the instruction.
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2017 Firefighter Training
Chief Steve Avgeris began firefighter training
for the 2017 season on Fri., April 21st. Training has
again been co-ordinated with CalFire.
Training dates are set to avoid any conflicts with
board meetings or holidays.
The schedule: April 21, May 5, May 19,
June 2 and June 16. All dates are on Fridays. Additional
dates may be added later as needed and as time permits.
Trainings are held at the Hilt church at
6 P.M. to approx. 8 P.M.
We need all of our previous volunteers on board,
if we are to maintain our effectiveness; since some changes
are inevitable, we also need new volunteers.
We also seriously need new volunteer first
responders (emergency medical responders), as our number
of certified responders has diminished in recent years due to
retirements. We are investigating training opportunities for
a full 54-hour EMR certification program as well as a re-cert
training for current responders; details will be posted once
we are able to determine if there is enough interest to pursue
this.
All local residents are welcome to participate
in all training, regardless of background, gender,
or other personal characteristics. There are many ways anyone
can contribute, including in auxiliary capacities; while fitness
is a definite plus, olympic athlete status is not a requirement!
A commitment to training, however, is essential.
The
first meeting, on Fri., April 21st this year, is always a must,
as it includes a basic overview and principles
of participation, and member sign-ups and insurance paperwork.
If you are considering joining us, this is the session to attend
to find out if this is a good fit for you.
Participation invitation postcards with the training
schedule are also sent by mail to all district residents and property
owners ahead of the training start date. Any further updates/details
will be posted here, as well as at our district kiosks. Stay
tuned.
You can learn more about firefighter and
first responder training below; anyone with questions can call
Chief Avgeris directly at 541-488-1768 or (cell#) 541-821-8339.
"We
are the ones we've been waiting for..."
The graphic design artwork for our "WANTED:
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS" 2017 training
poster was done by CRFD volunteer firefighter Rory Dwyer.
CRFD thanks Rory for contributing his time and skills!
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2016:
| 2016 Firefighter Training Schedule
All sessions were held on Fridays at the Hilt Community Church
from 6:00 to approx. 8:00 PM unless otherwise announced. |
| April 15th |
Organizational paperwork & overview. |
| April 30th |
(Sat.) - 9:00 AM to approx. 1 PM.
CPR & 1st Responder (re)certification. |
| May 13th |
Inside; firefighting concepts & practices class. |
| May 27th / 28th |
Sat.: Longer hours. Outside hands-on training. |
| June 10th / 11th |
Sat.: Longer hours. Outside hands-on training. |
| June 24th / 25th |
Sat.: Longer hours. Outside hands-on training. |
CRFD’s 2016 Volunteer
Firefighter Training program was coordinated with CalFire
and their training officers.
The training notice and the schedule (above) was posted
at our three district kiosks, and all district constituents
were also notified in advance of the start date by mail.
In 2016, we desperately needed new volunteer firefighters
and first responders (Emergency Medical Responders),
with older participants "retiring" and others moving out of the district.
We were very fortunate to have a wonderful group of new volunteers join us,
resulting in a strong, cohesive unit of energized firefighters. Chief Avgeris has been
very pleased with this group of volunteers, and their effectiveness was
demonstrated in numerous incidents over the course of the season.
The graphic artwork and design for our “We
Want You – Be a Volunteer Firefighter!” poster for
the 2016 firefighter training was done by CRFD volunteer firefighter
Rory Dwyer (with file facilitation assistance by Rory’s
mom, Karen Dwyer, RN and past CRFD volunteer). We thank them
both for their contribution and for helping to get the word
out about our firefighter training program.
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2015:
Training began Fri., March 20th, 2015, and was
scheduled for every other week through May. All trainings were
held on Fridays, starting at 6:00 PM to approx. 8:00 PM.
Cal-Fire again assisted in the training this
year. When training began, Fire Chief Steve Avgeris stated that
"We are going to give wild land and structure protection
the highest priority this year because of the difficult season
we face."
In addition to regular training, 5 volunteer firefighters
who have also agreed to become operators this season have been
receiving dozer training.
The first firefighter training session on March
20th saw a very good turnout of participants from the community,
and included an orientation, review and overview of training
and training requirements, and insurance and District paperwork.
SeeGeneral
Firefighter Training Informationbelow for further
information and a review of what recent and past training programs
have involved.
We are very thankful for our dedicated participants this season.
We have been in desperate need of more volunteer firefighters
and medical responders, as well as people who can serve
in various auxiliary support capacities.
As our valley community grows and as some older
or longer-serving volunteers have retired from active-duty firefighting,
we are down to a mere handful of active people on our roster.
We need to change this situation if the District is to continue
to be effective.
This past winter, CRFD Board Member and firefighter
Teri Thomas wrote and sent a letter on behalf of the Board to
each of our community members outlining this situation.
As she points out, our home insurance rates are
affected by the level of firefighting services that our District
is able to provide. Additionally, with drought and population
growth, we need more firefighting capabilities than ever before.
Read the letter from Teri and
the rest of the Board (available here)
and let us hear from you. Any and all help is welcome.
The first session was mandatory for sign-ups for this season;
however, there are many auxiliary support functions that we
still need volunteers for as well.
Those who missed the first session but
are interested to participate should contact Fire Chief Steve
Avgeris at 541-488-1768 or cell 541-821-8339.
PREVIOUS FIREFIGHTERS: IF
you are NOT a current participant, please turn
in your gear if you have not yet done so and any other
district equipment to Chief Steve Avgeris (by arrangement -
contact him at the ph# above). Some gear still has not been
turned back in yet. We need all gear and equipment for those
who are currently involved.
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2014 firefighter training was held during the spring and was
closely based on the 2013 training (see below). This auxiliary
training was also offered to the community in 2014:
Ongoing 10-minute Hands-Only CPR Training:
If you missed the
opportunity to get trained in Hands-Only CPR at last year's
district picnic, you still can.
Since hands-only CPR is so quick and easy to learn and
can make such a difference, we want to train as many community members
as possible to have and be able to use this simple yet effective skill.
Training sessions are available by arrangement whenever
we have a few people or more who want to learn, and will be held on
days and at times that fit participants' (and trainer's) schedules.
The only pre-requisite is your own interest!
Either contact Karen directly at 541.210.7106
or kdwyercrfd@gmail.com,
or email us here and
it will be forwarded to her. See the 2013
CRFD Picnic announcement and Update notes (on the Bulletin
page) for more.
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2013 Firefighter Training:
Firefighter Training for the 2013
season began Fri. March 22nd and ran into early July. All trainings
were held on Friday evenings every other week from 6:00 to 8:00
PM at the Hilt Community Church.
Training was primarily conducted by Captain Darin
Dow of CalFire. In addition to the usual theory and hands-on training,
this season's training included finishing the structure training
begun last year so that firefighters were able to complete the
necessary 24 hours in order to meet ISO requirements.
March 22 & 29
April 12 & 26
May 10 & 24
June 7 & 21
July 5
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2012 Firefighter Training:
Winter-Spring 2012 Structure Training (24 hours total):
Structure Training, originally slated to be held during the
fall of 2011, was re-scheduled to this past spring and was incorporated
into the training schedule following regular wildland firefighter
training.
Firefighter training started on Friday, February 17th,
continuing every other week into early July. (The original
start date of Fri. Jan. 20th was cancelled due to weather.) Trainings
were held on Friday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Hilt Community
Church. Dates for the remainder of the training sessions were scheduled
with firefighters' input at the first session.
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Medical 1st Responders:
The 2012 EMR (Emergency Medical Responder/First Responder)
Re-Certification was held on March 10th and 11th at the
Hilt Community Church. All fees and associated costs for the course
and for the recertification cards were covered by the Fire District.
The course instructor was Amy Stacher (of CalFire, independently
contracted and paid by the fire district for this class); Amy taught
the 2010 course and is excellent. We are fortunate that she was
available to teach this refresher course for us this year.
(This year's course was a short refresher course, not the full
54-hour course that we had in 2010; see below
for a description of what the course in 2010 involved.)
Previous information about the 2012 EMR Re-Certification
course:
Karen Dwyer, the acting head of our emergency medical response
unit, has been in touch with Amy, and has the following information
for the rest of us:
Hi all! Here is detailed information regarding our EMR (Emergency
Medical Responder) recertification class with Amy Stacher.
March 10, 9:00a to 5:30p
March 11, 9:00a to 1p
Place: Hilt church
Recertification requires either 12 hours class time every 2 years
or 6 hours every 1 year. Our certificates are 2 years old, so
both dates (March 10 & 11 are required). The first day is
an 8 hour day with a half hour lunch (please bring sack lunch,
drinks & snacks as needed). Day two is a four hour day, but
can be extended if anyone feels the need for extra review in a
particular area. During the course, we will be doing hands-on
activities, watching a video and performing CPR. Please dress
comfortably and warmly.
CRFD will cover the class fee for Amy Stacher. In addition to
Amy's fee, there will be a $28 certificate fee and a $3 electronic
processing fee. Also, we are required to get finger printed (Live-Scan
at a California Dept of Justice), and there is likely a fee with
that. [More on this just below.] If you can get finger-printed
prior to Amy's class, that will speed up your certificate processing
time. I will talk to Chief Steve regarding reimbursement for these
fees.
Here is Amy's response to test preparation:
"With CEs there is not a big test to prepare for. We will
just do activities to ensure people know what they are doing.
You will get a certificate of continuing education at the end
of class."
" With CPR there is a test but it is easy & short.
Everyone should review their first responder books & look
up all the new 2010 healthcare provider CPR info. We will do
AHA CPR so you will have the best card possible."
If there are any questions or concerns that haven't been addressed
here, please contact me (call, text or email).
Karen Dwyer
Colestin Rural Fire District
541.210.7106
kdwyercrfd@gmail.com
Firefighters or others involved with our fire district who wish
to become 1st Responders for the first time should contact Karen
to discuss that directly with her.
Any further details will be posted here as they become available.
Criminal Background Check Fingerprinting: The
Sheriff's Office in Yreka provides this service on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM only; it takes about 15 minutes
or less once you're there. The Fire District is covering all costs
for this requirement (having the prints sent to the Dept. of Justice
and FBI plus the print scan itself). Call first to be sure the machine
is operable, before making the trip down: 530-842-8300. The Sheriff's
Office is located at 305 Butte St. (opposite the courthouse, cross-street
is 4th St.); take the Miner St. exit (2nd exit) from I-5, a left
at the light at Main St., and a Right onto Butte; it's about three
blocks up, on the left.
______________________
Also: The Nor-Cal 2012 Pre-Hospital Conference will be held
on Saturday, April 28th this spring. The location is again
at the Win-River Casino in Redding. This is open to all of our 1st
responders who are current in their status (certified or re-certified).
Based on the level of interest, we may be able to provide a carpooling
option with a district vehicle as was done last year. (See the postcard-flyer
announcement here.)
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2011 Wildfire Training:
The 2011 wildfire training involved lots of hands-on practice along
with some classroom theory. Except as noted, all training sessions
were held on Fridays from 6 – 8 pm at the Hilt Community Church.
March 11th - administrative paperwork; firefighting/training
overview; dispatch communications.
March 25th - local communications; 1st Responder
medical training review/practice - CANCELLED.
To be re-scheduled to a later date.
April 8th - 1st Responder medical training review/practice
#1st half.
April 22nd - 1st
Responder medical training review/practice #2nd half.
May 6th - Local communications/radio/pager use; more general
training.
May 20th - Communications
(rest of); hands-on practice with Wildland/Urban interface hose
lay training.
May 21st, Sat., in Redding, CA.: 2011 Northstate Pre-hospital
Conference : optional day-long class for all pre-hospital personnel
including first responders (EMRs), sponsored & promoted by
NorCal EMS. (See below for topics & more info.)
June 3rd - tentative
make-up day for 3/25: more general training.
June 4th IN HORNBROOK- Special Extrication class with CalFire
: 10:00 AM to approx. 3:00 PM.
June 17th - Last regular training for the season: more hands-on
practice; various remaining topics as needed.
July 7th: ( Final training) Special inter-agency training:
This year the multi-agency meeting was held in Hilt. CRFD was
the host agency. (There were three helicopters and lots of engines
so residents at the south end of the Valley may have noticed that
this training was occurring.)
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Medical 1st Responders:
The 2011 Northstate Prehospital Conference:
The 7th Annual Northstate Pre-hospital Conference was held on Saturday,
May 21st, 2011 at the Win-River Casino in Redding, CA., for
EMRs (First Responders), EMTs, Paramedics, and other emergency
medical personnel who might be interested, intended as an informative
refresher, updating us on some of the protocol changes in the last
year.
A group of our first responders carpooled down on May 21st (participation
was not required however). The $50 registration fee cost was reimbursed
by the district.
Topics included: Crew Resource Management, Physical
Assessment - Adult, Heat Illness, Critical Incident Team Resource
Management, The Active Shooter, Auto Extrication, and Wilderness
Medicine.
For more information on this event or similar events, see the
Nor-Cal EMS website at:
http://www.norcalems.org
(You may need to create an account to view material
if you don’t yet have one, but it’s simple and fast.)
If you have any questions, you can contact NorCal’s office directly at: 530-229-3979.
Nor-Cal EMS news and updates are always available at: http://www.norcalems.org/
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**EMR (First Responder) CERTIFICATION UPDATE**:
On February 3rd, 2011, we were informed by the Certification Manager
for Nor-Cal EMS that:
"[W]e have been informed that [the] Sierra-Sacramento EMS
Agency EMR Program is now operational. If you are currently certified
as an Emergency Medical Responder (previously First Responder)
by Nor-Cal EMS, and utilize your skills in the S-SV area, please
see the information from S-SV EMS below and contact them if you
have further questions."
The S-SV area now includes Siskiyou County. NorCal EMS does not
now include Siskiyou County. According to the NorCal EMS office,
however, we are still able to train and become certified or re-certified
by NorCal, and NorCal's certification will still be considered effective
for our fire district's EMR/1st Responder certification purposes.
More will be posted here as we learn further details.
The complete information received by Nor-Cal EMS from S-SV EMS
is available on Nor-Cal EMS's website:
http://www.norcalems.org/docs/memos/20110203-memorandum-ssv-emr-certification-available.pdf
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2010 Firefighter Training - Awards Night:
Our first firefighter training of the
season on April 9th, 2010, 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
(this goes to a separate page with individual photo links). [Note: Chuck Biegert, CRFD's 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.]
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1st Training, April 2010 - Colestin-Hilt Firefighters/Emergency Medical 1st Responders
Fire Chief Steve Avgeris (front, center), Assistant Fire Chief
in Hilt David Lipking (right), and Emergency Medical Response Director
Cheri Avgeris (back row, center-left). [Assistant Fire Chief for
Colestin (north valley) Chuck Biegert and retiring Asst. Chief Andy
Herskind not pictured here.]
For more photos of this event, see: Firefighter
Training - April 9th, 2010 - Awards & Photos.
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Firefighter Training 2010:
The start of firefighter training was postponed last
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.
The 2010 Training Schedule for Colestin/Hilt:
"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 laterdue 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. Last
year's training was conducted by our Fire Chief, Steve Avgeris.
Crew members of Cal Fire also provided many of the training
sessions.
If you have any questions about training,
call Steve Avgeris at 541-488-1768.
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Emergency Medical Responder Training, 2010:
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, 2010:
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.
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Firefighter Training in 2005 (Photo):
2005 Firefighters at Training
- Sat. February 19th, 2005
Fire Chief Steve Avgeris, foreground
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