Members of the Potsdam Fire Department have kept busy this summer taking many New York State Fire classes to extend their education in the fire service. These classes are designed to set standards that will ensure safety and the highest performance of personnel within an organization, and to provide a quality learning environment in order to enhance the highest degree of service to the community in which they serve. The training’s primary focus is to develop the intellectual and physical competencies of each fire department member so that each member can expand their contributions to the fire service and the community.

Firefighter Jay Bradish and Corey Matthie completed Accident Victim Extrication Training. The training provides hands-on training in motor vehicle rescue and extrication techniques while stressing the need for scene safety and vehicle stabilization. The class includes rescue theory, rescue life cycle, new technology in the automotive design and rescue tools and their uses.
Course Length: 16 hours

Firefighter Justin McGregor and 1st Assistant Chief Danielle Rose completed Bus Rescue and Extrication Training. The Bus Rescue Course provides advanced training to personnel in the specific hazards and problems associated with performing rescues from a school bus. The program focuses on many aspects of the school including: construction, safety systems and extrication strategies. Members also learned tool placement and staging, anatomy of a school bus, school bus stabilization, primary entry, secondary entry, patient packaging and extrication and bus rollovers.
Course Length: 8 hours

Firefighter Justin McGregor and Kevin Blain are currently taking EVOC- Emergency Apparatus Operator Training. This training provides vehicle operators with a better understanding of the seriousness of emergency vehicle operation. This course stimulates the thought process to make the firefighters aware of the potential for tragedy and financial loss of the legal and moral responsibilities encountered when operating an emergency vehicle.
Course Length: 18 hours

Firefighter Justin McGregor is currently in the Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations(BEFO) class. The class is designed to train firefighters to support fire activities that arise before, during and after fire attach with respect to their exterior only classification. The firefighter will be exposed to the knowledge and skills pertaining to fire tools and scene safety, fire behavior and development, personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus (excluding donning and doffing of SCBA, communication, fire prevention and investigation principles, fire extinguishers, hose practices (excluding fire advancement and attack), water supply, nozzles and fire streams, ground ladder operations, ropes and knots. The course is derived from the Fire Fighter 1 curriculum.
Course Length: 79 hours

Firefighter William Andrus and 1st Assistant Chief Danielle Rose will be beginning Fire Police Training in the next few weeks. This training class includes defining and interpreting terms, oath of office, relation to regular police officers, general duties, maintaining safe conditions at an emergency, traffic direction and control, pre-planning, and various laws of interest to the fire service.
Course Length: 21 hours

The members of the Potsdam Fire Department would like to extend our thanks the host departments who hoisted these classes and to the state instructors for all the knowledge and hands-on experience you have passed on to these firefighters!