The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) was pleased to host our state partners from Oregon OSHA for a three-day training program for their staff specifically developed to increase employee awareness of the fire service.
The training was offered in partnership with DPSST, Oregon OSHA, the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association Safety and Health Section, the City of Salem Fire Department, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Portland Fire & Rescue, and Clackamas County Fire District #1.
Topics covered included respiratory protection; hazardous materials; leading causes of firefighter injuries, illnesses, and deaths; behavioral health and crisis management; live-fire training; hazards of post fire investigations; rural and volunteer fire resources; vehicle and apparatus tour; wildland firefighting; personal protective equipment; incident command and accountability; dangers of emergency responders working on highways; and specialized rescue functions such as trench, high angle, confined space, water, and others.
The three-day class concluded with afternoon demonstrations of fire department responses to simulated building fires in the scenario village at DPSST’s 235-acre Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem this afternoon. This allowed OSHA personnel to see first-hand the various functions that occur when a fire department responds to an emergency including size-up, command, accountability, safety, firefighting tactics, firefighter health through on-scene rehabilitation.
DPSST’s Director Eriks Gabliks said “the Fire Program at DPSST was pleased to work with our partners from Oregon OSHA to increase their employee’s awareness of the fire service and the important health and safety considerations that occur at incident scenes. Equally important the awareness of health and safety programs the fire service has implemented within fire stations which occur before, during and after an emergency response. With approximately 13,000 firefighters around the state, of which approximately 80% are volunteer, working for more than 300 fire departments and rural fire protection districts, the more Oregon OSHA staff understand about what they will see when the visit a fire station or emergency incident scene the better they will prepared to provide valuable assistance.”
## Background Information on the DPSST ##
The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement. Eriks Gabliks serves as the Director, and Sheriff Jason Myers of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 40,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.
DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.