the importance of proper education & training

The importance of proper education & training for fire and emergency personnel can never be understated. The potential risks are just too high to ignore it. Of course, some mishaps are unavoidable, but the better prepared you are to handle any potential calamities, the more likely you are to overcome them and survive them. 

The most recent case of an avoidable catastrophe was in Phoenix, AZ
where firefighter Brad Harper was killed at a mulch pile fire scene two months ago after he became pinned between an engine and an ambulance. According to the report, this was a horrible -but preventable- accident. Three errors played a role in what happened: By policy, the Firefighters should have had a spotter when the fire apparatus backed up, and they didn't. The firefighter driving the fire truck should have noticed Harper on the road before moving the rig. And Harper should have seen the fire truck moving towards him. Trapped in such a narrow space, firefighters were afraid to move either truck and hurt Harper even more. It took rescue crews 13 minutes and 22 seconds to extricate Harper, who later died. More info about the incident can be found HERE.

VFIS of Texas provides education & training to fire and emergency stations all over Texas. Many times, these classes are offered for free and or can be fully reimbursed by grant. Our goal is to educate and train personnel to better protect them and to reduce their risk of injury or death. VFIS of Texas offers the following courses:

Emergency Vehicle Driver Training (1-2 Days)
Emergency Vehicle Response Safety (3-4 Hrs)
Dynamics of Emergency Vehicle Response (3-4 Hrs)
Highway Safety (3-4 Hrs)
Intersection Safety (3-4 Hrs)
Rollover Prevention (3-4 Hrs)
Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) Operations (3-4 Hrs)
Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training (2-3 Hrs)
Art of Reading Smoke (2-3 Hrs)

To learn more about offered training courses and to sign your department up, please visit www.vfistx.com/training.