County Wide Training Program

FREEBORN COUNTY FIRE ASSOCIATION
STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES

SUBJECT: County Wide Training Program
Accepted Date: 01/13/17
Revision Date:

Approved By: Freeborn County Fire Association
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I. Purpose:
This SOG is written to establish a common, unified training program and process throughout the county. All departments will have the same minimum training requirements, a department training officer, documentation, and resources to work with. Freeborn County Fire Departments that have training SOG must still be followed within their jurisdiction. This SOG is to be a minimum standard and can be stricter in an individual department.

II. Definitions:

A. District: For the purpose of training, Freeborn County will be organized into five districts. District descriptors and department grouping are listed below:

1. SE: Glenville, Myrtle, London, Hayward
2. SW: Emmons, Twin Lakes, Conger, Alden
3. NE: Geneva, Hollandale, Clarks Grove
4. NW: Manchester, Hartland, Freeborn
5. Central: Albert Lea

B. Training Officer: Each department will appoint a training officer that meets the minimum qualifications:

1. Trained to the NFPA 1001 standard
2. Able to attend train-the-trainer classes
3. Capable of administering the classes to their department
4. Oral and written communication/computer skills necessary for accurate documentation/delivery of training
5. Recommended qualifications (not required):

i. State FFI & II certified
ii. State Fire Instructor I certified
iii. Minimum of 6 years of firefighting experience

C. Training Committee: The Freeborn County Training Committee shall consist of one training officer appointed from each of the five districts. Each district training officer will assist in developing and distributing the county wide training program. The county wide training program will include individual department training as well as district training. Within each district, the training officer on the committee will come from a different department each year. The exception to this is the Central district which will always be represented by Albert Lea Fire and Rescue.

III. Standard:

A. Individual Department Training: A training program will be written and established each year. This training program will consist of six – two hour training sessions to meet a minimum of twelve hours of training per year. These sessions will be based on NFPA 1001 training requirements. Established training plans will be located in a program binder provided to each department. Additionally, training plans will be available on the Freeborn County web page. The individual department training binder will be provided to each department’s training officer representative in a train-the-trainer class. The department training officer is expected to administer and document selected training plans contained within the program binder. Each department member is expected to complete, at a minimum, twelve hours of Freeborn County-developed training.

B. District Training

1. Operations Training: The Freeborn County Training Committee will develop quarterly training that will be conducted in each of the districts. This training is to enhance our Mutual and Automatic Aid response along with strengthening department relations and improving interoperability. Depending on the training, the Central district may be skipped. Departments in each district will complete the training together once per quarter. If a member from one district cannot meet the training date in their district, they may be able to attend the same training in another district. These training sessions are extra above and beyond the 12 hour minimum basic training identified in the individual department training section. The length of training session will depend on the topic. This training is not required but recommended.

2. Command Training: The training committee will develop quarterly command training. Senior leaders and those that may be part of the incident command structure in their department may attend this training. These training sessions are not required. They will however strengthen department relationships and improve interoperability within the county.

C. Train-the-Trainer: Individual training program binders will be provided to department training officers at a yearly train-the-trainer class. Each department will be required to send their department training officer to this class. Classes will be offered between November 1st and December 31st of each year in preparation for the following year. The train-the-trainer class will consist of the following:

1. Distribution of training program binder containing training plans and documentation for each two-hour session
2. Explanation of how to conduct and document each of the training sessions
3. Coordination of resources needed for each training session

D. Training Documentation: Documentation for all training, district or departmental, is the responsibility of each department’s training officer, or their designee. The training shall be recorded within the Minnesota Fire Incident Reporting System (MNFIRS).