ALABAMA FIRE COLLEGE
ALABAMA FIREFIGHTER
MEMORIAL SERVICE
October 5 @ 2pm
Alabama Firefighter Memorial
Alabama Fire College campus
ALABAMA FIRE SERVICE BRIEFING
hosted by the Alabama Fire College
October 8 @ 10 am
viaZoom
Join us to discuss upcoming events, issues, and statewide reports on topics impacting the fire service in Alabama. Anyone involved in the Alabama fire service is welcome!
PERSONNEL STANDARDS & EDUCATION COMMISSION
Work Session: October 15
Meeting: October 16
Personnel Standards & Education Commission work sessions and meetings are open for public attendance. Meetings dates and other information can be found at www.alabamafirecollege.org/commission.
FIRE CHIEFS CONFERENCE
ISO Class: February 10, 2025
Conference: February 11-12, 2025
Registration will open on October 1!
Fire Department
AFC Section Chief, Regional Services
Lectures @ 9am
Lunch @ 11am Skills Lab @ 12pm
Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs
Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs
Attend the lecture in-person or via MS Teams for the same credit!
PEER SUPPORT AWARENESS
1 hour / online / on-demand
This behavioral health awareness online course will educate students regarding critical incident stress management and peer support, signs and symptoms of behavioral and emotional distress, the benefits of psychological support and education, understanding mental health diagnosis and treatment, and suicide awareness.
This course meets the prerequisite for the following courses:
Fire Fighter I/II
Peer Support Member
TRP: Rope Awareness & Operations Rescue
Volunteer Fire Fighter
MOBILE TRAINING ALABAMA FIRE COLLEGE
Our mobile training props bring the training to your department To schedule, contact your regional coordinator Learn more at www.alabamafirecollege.org/trainingprops.
MOBILE FIRE
Provides fire suppression training at any location in Alabama while allowing a trained staff member to moderate the safety elements of the live fire training scenario.
CONFINED SPACE
Allows for the evaluation of confined space and search and rescue skills in a controlled environment, with the ability to obscure vision through waterbased fog and moving panels
PROPANE EMERGENCY
Allows for practicing common propane emergencies encountered at structure fires Students learn how to mitigate the impact of radiant heat and direct flame impingement on a residential propane storage tank.
MC 306 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
This full size mobile training unit allows departments to practice confinement, containment, mitigation, and suppression techniques associated with hazardous materials incidents.
EMERGENCY APPARATUS DRIVING
Simulated scenarios provide a safe environment for driver training Designed to increase situational awareness, it allows facilitators to monitor performance
MOBILE DRILL TOWER
The four story tower allows for operations related to ground ladders, search and rescue, standpipes and sprinklers, high rise, high angle, rappelling, and confined space
The side-by-side sprinkler prop allows us to compare and contrast the differences between sprinklered and nonsprinklered rooms Provides valuable education to the public regarding the advantages of fire sprinklers
FIRE & WEATHER SAFETY TRAILER
Coming soon!
SIDE-BY-SIDE SPRINKLER
Upcoming Course Vacancies
Upcoming Course Vacancies
Upcoming Course Vacancies
Curriculum & Certification News
NFPA 1030 (IN
PROCESS)
Public Information Officer: Pilot completed August 2024
First Responder Inspector: New program, piloting 9/23/24
Fire Inspector: New program, piloting 9/30/24
Fire Plans Examiner: Piloting Fall 2024
Fire and Life Safety Educator I and II: Piloting Fall 2024
Per ICC, the AFC partnership will continue to use the current process.
Learn more: www.alabamafirecollege.org/newsletters
NEXT UP:
NFPA 1010
Fire Support Person (new level)
Fire Fighter I
Fire Fighter II (includes: Volunteer Fire Fighter, Fire Fighter I/II, Fire Fighter I/II Bridge, Fire Fighter I
Recertification, Fire Fighter Reciprocity)
Marine Fire Fighter
Airport Fire Fighter
Fire Apparatus Operator courses: EVD, Pumper, Aerial, Mobile Water Supply, ARFF
NFPA 1081
Facility Fire Brigade courses
NFPA 1550
Fire Department Safety Officer: Health and Safety Officer
Fire Department Safety Officer: Incident Safety Officer
Hazardous Materials/WMD Awareness & Operations: New 2024 ERGs will be in use by 10/1
ALABAMA FIRE FIGHTER
LICENSE PLATE
The 2025 Fire Fighter Distinctive License Plate “Tag List” was released to career and combination departments on Sep. 9. The volunteer department tag list is maintained by the Alabama Forestry Department and can be accessed at https://forestry.alabama.gov/Pages/Fire/VFD.aspx. Questions? Email certification@alabamafirecollege.org.
www.alabamafirecollege.org
Fire Service Briefing Notes - September 10
DRUG SCREEN AND BACKGROUND CHECKS
We assume the authority having jurisdiction is performing background checks and drug screens on their employees (recruit candidates). Self-sponsored recruits and EMS students must have drug screens performed prior to entering class (background checks for self-sponsored recruits also) As students, they are subject to AFC’s drug screen policy. Hospitals require an updated drug screen for EMS students prior to conducting clinicals at their facilities.
HANDBOOKS IN DEVELOPMENT
Onboarding handbook for Commissioners
Firefighter I/II Bridge Handbook
FIRE FIGHTER VEHICLE TAG
The 2025 Fire Fighter Distinctive License Plate “Tag List” was released to career and combination departments on Sep. 9. The volunteer department tag list is maintained by the Alabama Forestry Department and can be accessed at https://forestry.alabama.gov/Pages/Fire/VFD.aspx. Questions? Email certification@alabamafirecollege org Learn more at www alabamafirecollege org/tag
AFC SALARY & CLASSIFICATION ANALYSIS
We have engaged Jacksonville State University to conduct a salary and classification analysis to determine if AFC employees are rightly classified and equitably compensated.
AFC ACADEMIC INVENTORY FOR NFA
We have submitted many of our courses to the National Fire Academy so that our students receive credit from NFA. Currently NFA does not accept AFC courses without being vetted to for relevance and correlation. NFA credit for our courses will serve as a vetting process so our courses then could be used as prerequisites to take more advanced courses at NFA/EMI.
EMS NEWS:
Twenty-one students passed the Paramedic course and graduated last month. All twenty-one have passed the NREMT, twenty on the first attempt!
Staff have completed the final inspection on the new rescue truck, and delivery is expected soon! We are currently piloting an online Advanced EMT course.
SPRINKLER VALVE TRAILER
We have obtained a sprinkler valve trailer. The curriculum is being developed that will accomplish two objectives: supplement Fire Inspectors series courses and provide initial awareness training.
INVISIBLE DISABILITIES TRAINING
The Alabama Legislature passed HB26 this past session that requires fire fighters complete the one-hour training on interacting with individuals with sensory needs or invisible disabilities This requirement applies to all certified career and certified volunteer fire fighters. Those certified must complete the training requirement once every two years and those being certified for the first time have six months to complete the training. More detailed information to follow.
NFPA Public Education News
September is Campus Fire Safety Month
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
From building local partnerships to increasing engagement, FPW Out of the Box Ideas is filled with ideas and tips on how to reach everyone in your community during Fire Prevention Week. It’s not too late to order your FPW in Box. Read about the updated process change on purchasing from NFPA.
Find campaign materials at: Campus Fire Safety Month Campaign. For more campus fire safety information, visit: www myccfs org
FALLS PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK
Join the National Council on Aging Sept. 23-27, 2024, for Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a nationwide observance with state coalitions and partners to raise awareness on preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and helping older adults live without fear of falling. For information on this important campaign visit: www ncoa org/page/falls-prevention-awareness-week-toolkit Help spread the Falls Prevention message by including Steps to Safety in your outreach to Older Adults. Visit www.nfpa.org/stepstosafety for free social media resources and materials.
FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY
NFPA and Vector Solutions have announced a joint effort to provide FREE training for firefighters across the U S about responding to fires involving distributed energy technologies and lithium-ion batteries. This press release has more information, which includes a separate link to access the training itself: NFPA and Vector Solutions Joint Effort to Provide Free Training for the Fire Service.
CRAIG 1300
NFPA announced at Fire Rescue International (FRI) in Dallas, TX, that it is licensing CRAIG 1300 to the Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI), the consulting arm of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). This new tool is called the ESCI Community Risk Hub powered by CRAIG 1300® and is built on Esri’s ArcGIS platform. It allows users to visualize risk assessment data; plan and track risk reduction activities and evaluate the success of local initiatives aligned to NFPA 1300, Standard on Community Risk Assessment and Community Risk Reduction Plan Development. ESCI is a partner of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (Esri), the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping More information is available: NFPA Licenses CRAIG 1300 to ESCI.
Attention Fire Departments!
Do you have stories of lives saved by smoke alarms? We want to hear from you! We're working on a project to highlight the incredible impact smoke alarms have in our communities. If your department has documented cases where a smoke alarm alerted residents to a fire and saved lives, please share them with us. Your stories could inspire others to install or check their smoke alarms and make a real difference in fire safety. Email your documented saves to smokealarms@alabamafirecollege.org. Let's work together to spread the word about the importance of smoke alarms!
G E T A L A R M E D !
STATEWIDE VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTER 160
Orientation
October 1, 2024 via Zoom
VFF Module I
October 28 to December 15, 2024
VFF Module II
January 6 to February 22, 2025
VFF Module III
April 5-12, 2025
HazMat A&O
April 14 to May 31, 2025
NFA CLASSES
Best Practices in Community Risk Reduction
January 27-28
Decision Making for Initial Company Operations March 8-9
Strategies and Tactics for Initial Company Operations
April 28-29
Preparation for Initial Company Operations
July 26-27
Youth Firesetter Program Manager September 22-23
WEEKEND CLASSES FOR VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS
The following classes are offered to Alabama VFFs on a weekend-based schedule. Tuition is waived; student is responsible for books. Call 1(800)2412467 to register.
Honor Guard: October 3-5, 2024
Fire Officer I: January 11, 12, 25, 26
Fire Investigator: February 8, 9, 22, 23
Technical Rescue Personnel: Rope Rescue Awareness & Operations: March 8, 9, 22, 23
Technical Rescue Personnel: Common Passenger Vehicle Rescue Awareness, Operations, and Technician: April 12, 13, 26, 27
Fire Apparatus Operator: Mobile Water Supply: May 3-4
Fire & Emergency Services
Instructor I: June 7, 8, 21, 22
Fire & Emergency Services
Instructor II: July 12, 13, 26, 27
Fire Apparatus Operator: Pumper: August 9, 10, 23, 24
Fire Officer II: September 3, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 27, and 30 via Zoom.
www.alabamafirecollege.org 1.800.241.2467
Published 7-5-24. Subject to change. Visit our website for the most current info.
You know the direction you want to go to pursue a meaningful career in emergency medicine or the fire service. We want to see you achieve that goal.
Although the Alabama Fire College does not offer scholarships or financial aid, we have compiled resources that may assist with funding your education. Scan the QR code to visit our webpage dedicated to outside resources.
Disclaimer: The opportunities listed on the webpage do not serve as an endorsement or advertisement of any program or entity. While we strive to provide accurate information, the details of these external scholarship opportunities may change without notice. Users are encouraged to verify the validity and current status of any scholarship before applying. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided
We also strongly encourage you to verify with the specific scholarship entity that the Alabama Fire College would qualify for the award. Scholarships marked with a red verification badge have been confirmed by our staff as an approved educational institution by the awarding entity.
Volunteer Rescue Student Tuition Reimbursement Program
INCLUDES ALL THREE LEVELS: EMT, ADVANCED EMT, & PARAMEDIC
Each year, emergency medical service agencies in Alabama hire more than 300 Emergency Medical Services Personnel (EMSP)s to offer life-saving support to their communities. In addition to these paid openings, the more than 900 volunteer fire departments and rescue squads in Alabama also rely on certified and committed EMSPs to meet their community needs The State of Alabama created the Volunteer Rescue Student Tuition Reimbursement Program (Act 2018-524) in 2018 and modified the program in 2023 (Act 2023-353). The legislation allows for students who obtain their EMT, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic certification from an Alabama Community College, the Alabama Fire College, or the University of South Alabama to be reimbursed their tuition costs for the training.
COMMIT
In order to qualify for the Volunteer Rescue Student Tuition Program, the applicant must commit – and show verification of a commitment – to at least two years of service to a volunteer fire or rescue squad. This increases the worker’s experience and helps local communities
