Oregon is served by more than 13,000 career and volunteer firefighters who are members of more than 300 fire departments and fire protection districts across the state. Approximately 80% of Oregon's firefighters are volunteers. Polk County is no exception where career and volunteer firefighters work together on a daily basis to serve residents in need of fire and emergency medical assistance.
Last night, DPSST brought its new car fire training prop to Dallas so that more than 30 new and seasoned volunteer and career firefighters could hone their skills.
DPSST Director Eriks Gabliks said "Vehicle manufacturers continue to design and implement technology to levels that are far more complicated each year. In addition to that standard flammable liquids in fuel, engine lubricants and tires there are battery operated cars and new materials that increase the flame intensity and increased smoke production. These changes require DPSST's Fire Service Training team to continually create new techniques and advancements for any potential vehicle fires. The vehicle fire training simulator that was brought to Dallas provides DPSST the ability to deliver hands-on, realistic, training to career and volunteer firefighters to repeatedly test and perfect the skills they need to serve Oregonians."
DPSST's car fire prop allows for the delivery of high-level firefighter training in a safe and controlled environment with a multitude of training objectives for participants and instructors. The car fire prop uses propane as a fuel source which allows the training to be offered in an environmentally friendly manner.
This new training prop was made possible thanks to funding DPSST received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. DPSST received two of these new car fire props. One is based in Salem and is used to support career and volunteer firefighter training west of the Cascades, the other is based in Redmond and supports training needs on the east side of the state.
DPSST helps support local fire agencies, in every corner of the state, by offering a variety of training classes. DPSST has more than a dozen mobile props that enable firefighters to receive realistic hands-on training. DPSST's fire training is offered free of charge to all fire agencies in Oregon because of funding made possible through the State's Fire Insurance Premium Tax.
One of the most difficult tasks in the fire service is to provide personnel with realistic training to prepare them for field operations. Certainly, providing live-fire training is an important component. For combination and volunteer organizations, especially those in rural areas, the ability to provide live-fire training can be an extremely complex problem. In the past many fire agencies had access to homes and buildings in their local communities that were going to be demolished that provided excellent hands-on training opportunities for firefighters. The same is true of burning old cars for training that are made of plastics, fuels, foam inside seats, and tires. Environmental and neighborhood concerns, building materials, and a variety of other safety considerations have changed this so the use of safe props is the way to go.
Gabliks said that "the State of Oregon, through DPSST, has a progressive fire training program that reaches more than 6,000 career and volunteer firefighters around the state on an annual basis free of charge thanks to the state's Fire Insurance Premium Tax."
## Background Information on the BPSST and 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 Darren Bucich, Chief of McKenzie Fire & Rescue 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, recognized as one of North America's most innovative state public safety standards and training organizations, 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.