Training

The Training Division is responsible for all training within the fire department which includes EMS, fire suppression, hazardous materials and technical rescue. Training within the fire department is guided by NFPA 1001: Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, NFPA 472: Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents, NFPA 1006: Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-305: Labor and Industry Standards for Firefighters.

The Training Division also conducts a fire training academy for new Reserve Firefighters joining the department. This academy runs from October through June and enables the recruit to obtain International Fire Service Accreditation Council  (IFSAC) certifications in Firefighter 1 and Hazardous Materials Operations, National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), Firefighter 2 and Washington State Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B). After their academy, Reserve Firefighters will complete a task book which prepares them to work alongside the department's career staff. In their second year with the department, Reserve Firefighters are trained and able to obtain their IFSAC Firefighter 2 certification. These certifications assist the fire department with improving its Washington Survey and Rating Bureau protection class rating and prepares them for a possible career in the fire service should they choose to pursue one.

The department is also very involved with training at the National Fire Academy (NFA). The training provided by the NFA is world class and funded through the U.S. Fire Administration. Training can be conducted in various states across the country but is delivered mainly at the NFA campus located in Emmitsburg, MD. Class tuition is free, and airfare is reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The only cost to the department is meals while the member attends training. Beside the plethora of classes offered at the NFA, there are two programs the department encourages its members to engage in - Managing Officer and Executive Fire Officer. Both of these are two-year programs. The Managing Officer program focuses on Company Officers and their roles within the organization and prepares them for taking the next step in their career advancement. The Executive Fire Officer program focuses on the Chiefs (Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Deputy Chief and Battalion Chief) roles and responsibilities within the organization. Currently, Pullman Fire has two members who have completed the Executive Fire Officer program - Fire Chief Mike Heston and Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Scharnhorst; and two members who have completed the Managing Officer program, Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Chiavaras and Lieutenant Chris Volk.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is an organization offering third party accreditation and credentialing for both departments and individuals. Pullman Fire is currently working through departmental accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), a division of the CPSE. Once completed, the department will be one of only 6 department in Washington State and 288 worldwide to attain this accreditation.  Pullman Fire also encourages its members to seek professional credentialing through the Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC), a division within the CPSE. CPC offers individual credentialing at the following levels: Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Chief Training Officer (CTO), Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO), Fire Marshal (FM) and Fire Officer (FO).  Currently, Fire Chief Mike Heston is a credentialed CFO.

The above mentioned training is an effort to provide the citizens of Pullman, and by extension Whitman County, the most well trained and professional firefighting and emergency medical services force we can provide. Should you have any questions regarding fire department training, or the Reserve Firefighter program, please contact Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Chiavaras at (509) 338-3293.