Training

Emergency Response is the number one priority of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. The second priority is Training. One cannot do without the other. If we have people, but no training, we risk becoming part of the problem versus part of the solution.

Training, like any other section of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, follows the matrix above. In the case of training, it is used to determine the annual training schedule and classes we either conduct or attend.

Meeting legal requirements for many of the areas we respond to has become more and more difficult and has proven to be a critical factor over the past several years. Many mandates, mostly directed at improving first responder safety, have impacted both our personnel and financial situations. Volunteering, once thought of more as a community service as well as a social activity, requires many hours of training annually to maintain qualifications. This on-going training follows intense and time-consuming recruit academies and classes for initial certifications or clearance. These impacts hold true for our career personnel as well.

Next, we must ask ourselves, is the training we are looking to provide in the best interest of the communities we serve. This is often answered using a Risk/Benefit or a Risk/Frequency matrix and utilizing predictions for the local area for the coming year(s).

After looking to the communities, we then must look at our department. What new hazards, technologies, equipment, or proven methods are happening globally, nationally, or locally, that we could and should employ to provide more effective and efficient services. Not many of us believed a few short years ago that we in the fire service would become such a part of our homeland security.

Finally, we must look to the individual. What can we do annually to assist our members in continuing to grow in their careers? Each individual has needs and desires related to training and education. As much as possible, we will try to make this happen. Bottom line is that at the end of the day or event, it is our sincere desire that every member goes home.

Training

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