You Fight the Way You Train
The North Haven Fire Department conducts many hours of training each year for both our career and volunteer service members in order to maintain their skills and to meet modern fire, OSHA, and ISO performance standards.
Daily, career department members participate in various types of training evolutions, including lectures, simulations, and practical skills development. Officers are provided additional training in building construction, Size-Up, fire ground tactics, and incident command training, while all members assigned as drivers complete driver/operator training designed to improve responder safety. Additionally, many career firefighters are also Nationally Registered as Advanced Life Support Paramedics and provide the highest level of medical care to our residents. Annual refresher training and outside courses help keep these member’s skills current and finely honed.
Our volunteer members also complete similar firefighter training scheduled in the evenings and on some weekends to allow them to work full-time or attend school and still volunteer.
Your pathway to becoming a firefighter can vary.
Everything begins with your physical preparedness to be a firefighter. Firefighters are tactical athletes and often go to extremes based on the needs of an incident. If you are considering becoming a career firefighter, you will be required to obtain a CPAT certificate. The Candidate Physical Ability Test is designed to test the strength and motions specifically required of a firefighter to use their equipment during a fire.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer member, the minimum training required is initial certification to the Firefighter level 1 (180 hours), Hazardous Materials [HAZMAT] Operations (40 hours), and CPR/AED/Stop the Bleed (8 hours),. Volunteer firefighters do not normally respond to medical emergencies and do not have advanced medical training.
Career firefighters may be hired as either an EMT or a Paramedic and then sent to the Connecticut Fire Academy for recruit school, a 15-week program that offers certification to firefighter levels 1 and 2, HAZMAT Operations, Technical Rescue, Vehicle Rescue, and many other mini-programs enhancing the firefighter skills set making them a “jump seat ready” firefighter upon graduation (600 hours). Upon return to the department, additional training on our specific equipment and procedures is provided.
Fire Apparatus Drivers are required to obtain either a CDL or Q endorsement for fire apparatus on their driver’s license due to the weight of the vehicles. Additional training such as emergency response, rights of emergency vehicles, and rules of the road are provided to prepare the operator for lights and siren response. Specialization for pumper apparatus and aerial apparatus is also provided for each class of vehicle before being allowed to operate them.
Here are some photos of drills performed by North Haven Firefighters:
