Attending the necessary courses often meant traveling to a larger city and taking time away from work and family. There were cost involved, too.

Now, the State Fire Marshal’s Office has developed an online training program that offers a number of necessary courses not only to firefighters but also to emergency medical service technicians.

The Ohio Fire Academy Online Training Service offers programs based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Center for Disease Control (CDC), and International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) standards and materials, according to information from the fire marshal’s office. The cost is $20 per firefighter per year. The classes eliminate the need for travel, an important consideration given that volunteer firefighters often had to take time away from their paid jobs to get the necessary training.

“They can take them at home, at the fire station, anywhere there is a computer,” Rome Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steven Rutherford said. “This is a great tool for us.”

Rutherford pointed out some classes will still require travel and hands-on training that simply can’t be done on a computer. But for those classes that can be taught online, the firefighter or EMT saves time and money.

State Fire Marshal Larry Flowers said since the online program began three weeks ago, he has gotten positive feedback from departments across the state.

“We are always trying to find ways to keep (firefighters and EMTs) well-trained and yet keep from having this become a burden to them,” Flowers said. “This has been a long time coming. We are really excited about this.”

Fire Chief Mike Roberts and Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan announced Albright’s appointment to the position at Thursday’s City Council Executive Session.

Albright, 57, is a Clarksville native and the longest serving member of the fire department. He had been Chief of the Training Division for the past 15 years.

“I promise to work diligently to move the department forward,” he told Council members and those in attendance at the meeting.
Albright, who has been known by a nickname of “Buff” since childhood, began his career at the department in 1975 under Chief Finis Gray and Mayor Charles Crow. In 1985, he was promoted to lieutenant in the Training Division, and in 1988, he rose to the rank of captain of the division.  He became the training chief in 1996.

Albright was among the first group of Clarksville firefighters to become state-certified Journeyman Firefighters and Emergency Medical First Responders. He graduated from both the state and national Fire Academy and holds some of the highest certifications in CFR as a Hazardous Material Specialist and certified Fire Officer.

Both Albright and his wife of more than 30 years, Jenny, are third generation Clarksvillians. They have two children and are members of Madison Street United Methodist Church.

John Stanley retired June 30 as CFR’s Deputy Chief after 31 years of service.

“We had a desk, phone and closet,” he recalled.

Over the next 30 years, the academy bounced around the state like a traveling circus. Home was Exchange Street in Providence, North Kingstown and, until Tuesday, the Cranston Street Armory Building in the West End of Providence.

On Wednesday morning, Chartier stood in the high-ceiling engine garage and addressed about 100 firefighters, police officers and politicians who were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the new Rhode Island State Fire Academy on the grounds of the former Ladd School in Exeter.

“This is a fantastic day for us,” Chartier said. “Today, starts a new beginning for fire service training in Rhode Island.”

The celebration was a long time coming. In 2002, state voters approved a $55-million bond to finance the construction of a new Rhode Island State Police headquarters and the new fire academy. The state police building opened in October 2010, but a series of delays pushed back the construction of the fire academy complex nine years.

Those delays included considering several different locations before settling on the Ladd School grounds. Once the site was selected, fire officials said, the state Department of Environmental Management placed the project on hold because it interfered with the mating season of a certain species of glide .

All of those delays were forgotten on Wednesday.

Governor Chafee was on hand and he certified the firefighters, public safety officials and politicians who brought the project to fruition.

“It’s a fantastic day and an exciting day for Rhode Island,” he said.

Col. Steven G. O’Donnell, superintendent of the state police and commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, said the sprawling complex will afford firefighters the opportunity to train at a higher level with state of the art facilities and equipment.

“We waited a long time for this day,” he said, pointing out that voters overwhelmingly approved the bond, 67 percent, to finance the complex and state police headquarters.

The ceremony recognized the first phase of the project that cost $6.4 million. It includes a “burn” building for live fire training, a five-tale training tower and other props to help firefighters in learning how to combat fires. Iron Construction, of Warwick, was the general contractor.

The second phase is about to get under way and is expected to take 18 months to complete. Those plans include construction of an 8,500-square-foot classroom and office building that is being financed with $2.8 million from the state capital budget. The payments will be made over the course of the next two fiscal years.

Subsequent the ceremony, those attending witnessed the Warwick and Hope Valley fire departments douse fires on a training car and fuel tank on the new academy grounds.

In a keynote address by the Reviewing Officer, the Deputy Minister for Interior, Upright Kwabena Akyeampong, congratulated the commandants and instructors of the FATS for the efforts they have place in to make the recruits knowledgeable in the rudiments of fire fighting, fire safety and prevention and also highly praised the recruits for their hard work.
He told that the regime is fully aware of the crucial role the fire service is playing to enhance the socio-economic development of the country and in aid of that the regime is receiving a total of 227 fire fighting vehicles and equipments from Exim Bank U.S.A., Exim Bank India and a package from the Belgium regime . These vehicles and equipment have started arriving in the country.
According to the Minister, statics collated by GNFS on fire out breaks revealed that there was a saving in fire out-breaks by 314 from 2,858 outbreaks in 2009 to 2,544 in 2010. The Service has also attended to 420 cases of road traffic accidents; saving lot of lives through rescue operations with 960 experiencing injuries whiles 157 lost their lives. These achievements, he attributed to the intensified public education on fire prevention, road safety and engagement with the public.
Upright Akyeampong told people gathered at the ceremony that the GNFS is well appreciated when it comes to international assessment of road traffic accident rescue operations and it was progressively rated from level 5 in 2003 to level 3 in 2009 by the World Rescue Organization (WRO), U.K.
He extra that GNFS represented Ghana in South Wales, U.K. in 2008 and in the 2009 world cup challenge in Frankfort, Germany respectively in the World Rescue Challenges.
The Interior Minister assured GNFS that the regime is putting up measures to tackle challenges of personnel accommodation, improving effective conditions and other logistical support and consequently urged officers of GNFS to return regime ’s effort by effective hard to achieve set target.
Presenting awards to best recruit officers of the day, he cautioned all the recruits to be excellent ambassadors, project the image of GNFS and be loyal to the nation as a whole.
Concluding his address , he pleaded with GNFS to continue and intensify its education on fire safety and road safety prevention to minimize the lost of lives and properties to contribute to the better Ghana Agenda.

The goal of the Wildland Fire Academy is to provide concentrated, quality and professional training in an inter-agency environment for personnel seeking to increase their experience and knowledge in the incident management arena.

Approximately 150 participants from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri have registered to attend the Academy. The event will provide wildland firefighters both classroom training and field exercises to equip them with new skills and knowledge for their jobs. Nearly 100 agency instructors and support personnel volunteer to provide the professional training and mentoring to attendees each year.

Participating agencies in the Arkansas River Valley Wildland Fire Academy include:  U.S. Forest Service, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Department of Forestry, Department of Defense Personnel, Department. of Parks and Tourism,  Apache Tribe, Caddo Nation, Choctaw Nation, Cherokee Nation, and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

The Academy schedule is designed to allow students to participate in up to 16 classes offered over the course of two weeks. This allows students to gain training and experience to advance their wildland fire and emergency response qualifications.

After completing training,  the agency wildland firefighters will be available for assignments throughout the country.

The council meets at 5 p.m. in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd. It can be viewed live on Charter Communications Channel 3, Verizon FiOS channel 21 and at www.longbeach.gov.

City Manager Pat West is asking the council to cancel the academies that are planned in the current fiscal year because of ongoing budget deficits. The city is expecting a general fund deficit of $18.6 million in the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and similar-sized deficits for two years after that.

West says in a report to the council that any new police officers who are hired now “would have a high probability of being laid off” in the next fiscal year. Very few firefighters could be hired without risking layoffs as well, West says.

The cost of the police academy is $1.5 million, and the money is already being spent on other things, including keeping 10 police officers on staff who aren’t paid from the regular budget. The Police Department has almost 870 officers.

The Fire Department’s academy would cost $977,328, which insteadfire officials instead want to spend on fire station projects, such as “gender accommodation” improvements because the city’s older fire stations don’t have separate changing rooms or bathrooms for women.

Even without the academies, police and firefighters could still face layoffs

down the line. Together, the two departments make up about two-thirds of the general fund, which also pays for libraries, street repairs, parks and other basic services.

Budget cuts have drastically reduced both police and firefighter levels, with police levels dropping from a high of 1,020 budgeted officers three years ago and the Fire Department last year being forced to take a fire engine out of service.

paul.eakins@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1278

The duo attended the Command and Control Incident Operations Class, according to a spokesperson. They were trained on how to apply the national Incident Management System functions to a variety of fire emergency situations, including effective organization and establishment of strategic command operations for multiple alarm incidents.

The program helps firefighters work  more efficiently with interagency and mutual aid resources.

Talley and McNeill graduated from the NFA with certification.

It is estimated that there are 1.3 million firefighters in the United States, and only 2 percent of those firefighters ever attend the National Fire Academy, according to a spokesperson.

The event will be held Saturday and Sunday at the South Carolina Fire Academy. It is the largest training event conducted by the Fire Academy each year.

Fire Academy Superintendent Ed Roper says firefighters also will get the opportunity to meet new South Carolina fire marshal Adolf Zubia.

Courses will include safety, flammable liquids and gases, trench rescue, auto extrication and strategies for forest fires. Roper says this year’s fire school will include a lot of hands-on training.

The Fire Academy provides training to municipal fire services, both paid and volunteers, airport crash rescue departments, industrial fire brigades and emergency teams from around the state.

‘In recognition of the value that fire-service based EMS provides American communities, the USFA’s NFA is revising and improving the EMS program to meet the needs of EMS agencies,’ said NFA Superintendent Dr. Denis Onieal. ‘The EMS curriculum now offers courses specifically identified as gaps in EMS education that prepare today’s EMS leaders to better manage their system’s response abilities and organizational quality control.’

The two new EMS courses are Emergency Medical Services Quality Management (EMS QM) and Emergency Medical Services Functions in the Incident Command System (EMS FICS). EMS QM is a six-day course offering to be conducted on the NETC campus, while EMS FICS is a two-day course offering to be conducted either on the NETC campus or locally through partnerships with State and metropolitan fire service training organizations.