It is exciting to be piloting CFA’s new General Firefighters program for volunteers from the start of April.
General Firefighters is replacing Minimum Skills, a training program which has developed our new volunteers over the past 17 years. While Minimum Skills has served the organisation well in this time, over time it has been modified and adapted by local groups, districts and regions. It became clear that we were in need of a system that was consistent for all of CFA.
The new program will standardise training for all new operational volunteers coming into our organisation, meaning we’ll all be on the same page. This is important, not just for our volunteers, but our instructors, trainers and brigade captains.
It will also be more streamlined and less cumbersome, meaning there’ll be less risk of losing a prospective volunteer during the training phase.
New learning technologies and methods are available, that can better meet the diverse needs of our members and CFA. Already our members have embraced the eLearning packages that have been offered, and we must continue to adapt to changes in technology to suit the needs of current and prospective firefighters.
This is how General Firefighters will look:
Aim
The aim of the General Firefighter course is to ensure our new operational members develop the essential knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively participate in their first turnout (under supervision).
Theory
The course will consist of approximately six hours of learning – broken down into a series of smaller learning modules. These can be completed on-line (eLearning) or face to face (facilitator-led) modules – or a combination of both. This part of the program will be ready to pilot by early-April.
Practical
Between 10 – 20 hours of practical training (depending on participant current knowledge/skills) including Foundation Skill Drills, Practical Activities and course assessment. This part of the program is readily available now.
The General Firefighter course will incorporate an all hazards approach with a Bushfire focus and reflect the requirements of the job / role for a new member.
The CFA training team will be holding a live stream on Thursday March 27, at 7pm, in order to answer any questions CFA staff and volunteers have in regards to the new program. More info on this session will be available at a later date.
