FSPA’s Fire Service Cultural Competency Certificate Program‘s provide training for psychologists and masters-level mental health clinicians who work with firefighters and EMS personnel and those who desire to do so in the future.
DAY #1: Understanding Fire Service Culture (8:00 am to 1:00 pm)
Location: Conference Hotel
This one-day class provides a broad overview of the fire service and its psychological components. After successful completion of this classroom session, the participant will earn one hour of continuing education per hour of training (sponsored by the American Psychological Association).
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify cultural components of the fire service, including performance standards, jargon, shift work, and barriers to treatment.
2. Describe the complexities of firefighting and emergency service, including trauma exposures.
3. Identify unique challenges to interpersonal relationships.
4. Explain organizational demands inherent in the firefighting profession based on the paramilitary organization.
5. Explain current trends in peer support and psychological services offered to fire departments and barriers to treatment.
DAY #2: FIREOPS 101 (8:00 am to 4:00 pm)
Location: Portland Fire Department Training Facility
The FIREOPS 101 class is designed to simulate some of the emergency operations that firefighters and EMS personnel respond to daily.
The primary learning objective is for participants to experience the real-life dangers of firefighting and EMS work in an immersive scenario-based format. Before performing the scenarios, participants are fitted with firefighter turnout gear and learn how to don/doff SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), learn how to use a halligan tool and axe to force entry through a door and practice chest compressions, and how to deliver hi-flow oxygen effectively. The morning practice will prepare participants for the immersive afternoon scenarios.
1. FIRE BEHAVIOR
This scenario will offer a live fire experience! Participants will be able to feel the heat, see how firefighters work together as a crew, understand the stages of fire, and learn how to properly and safely extinguish the fire.
2. SEARCH AND RESCUE
Saving lives is the primary mission of firefighters and EMS personnel. Often, firefighters must perform search and rescue before the fire is extinguished, making this one of the most dangerous situations they face. During the search, you will learn about the important tools and equipment that firefighters use that make a difference in the life and death of civilians and firefighters.
3. AERIAL LADDER OPERATIONS
Fire scenes are very complex, and it is important for aerial trucks and fire engines to work together to help make the scene as safe as possible. Rescue, ventilation, forcible entry, overhaul, and aerial operations must be coordinated. You will have the opportunity to climb an aerial ladder, watch firefighter crews operate on a roof, and understand the importance of proper ventilation in a fire building.
4. CPR AND POSSIBLE OVERDOSE
The prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic affects individuals and fire and EMS departments nationwide, from big cities to rural communities. In this scenario, you will experience a routine overdose call that quickly turns into a cardiac arrest. Overdoses and cardiac arrest are among the most time-critical emergencies that firefighters and EMS personnel respond to daily.