Mission
The primary mission of the Training Division is to provide on-going training, education and certification to fire service personnel necessary to ensure a competent, efficient and effective emergency response organization. This mission is completed through both in house and outside training that is required for firefighters who operate in hazardous environments. The role the Fire District plays in the community is ever growing and ever changing.
The Training Division welcomes the challenges and creative opportunities of the future, while remaining faithful to the excellence of the traditions and wisdom of the past.
Instructors
The Fire district employs professional firefighters who possess a wide range of knowledge and experience, this valuable resource is utilized daily within the Training Division. Experienced personnel are encouraged to teach classes that serve to benefit all personnel. In addition, the training division utilizes outside experts to train our firefighters when appropriate.
The Cottleville Fire Protection District participates in the St. Charles County Training Coordinates which is a committee of all the Fire Service Training Officers in the County. This relationship has proven beneficial to the Training Division; a pooling of resources countywide provides more training opportunities, which benefit the District.
Initial Training
Our firefighters are required to be State Certified as Firefighter I & II and must hold a license as a State certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); a minimum for employment consideration. Many of our employees have advanced training in areas of Technical Rescue, Swift Water/Dive Training, and Hazardous Materials Response. We have a number of Missouri licensed paramedics and many have upper level college degrees.
Firefighter I & II
Firefighters complete the Missouri Division of Fire Safety Firefighter I & II (NFPA 1001) certification program. This program is conducted through various Fire Academy’s in the State of Missouri including the St. Charles County Fire Academy. The course work at the St. Charles County Fire Academy is 328 hours. Course work includes classroom and practical application of basic firefighting, rescue, and hazardous material response skills. Once the course is completed, students must successfully pass the State written and practical testing for Firefighter I & II.
Emergency Medical Technician
The course covers patient assessment, patient care, use of equipment, medical conditions, traumatic injuries, and the emergency medical systems. Students attend 184 hours of training which includes 54 hours of clinical observation time in a hospital emergency department, and on an ambulance. Once the course is completed, students must successfully pass the State EMT Practical (hands on skills) and then the National Registry Written Examination.
Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic
This course teaches students to deliver effective and efficient Advanced Life Support (ALS) to patients. The course covers patient assessment, patient care, use of equipment, medical conditions, traumatic injuries, and the emergency medical system. Students attend 1,238 hours of training, which includes clinical observation time in various hospital departments, and on an ambulance. Once the course is completed, students must successfully pass the State EMT-P Practical (hands on skills) and then the National Registry Written Examination. Paramedics are required to attain 144hrs of continuing education units (CEU's) every five years for re-licensure.
Continuing Education
Annual required training covers many areas and subjects including: structural firefighting, hazardous materials incidents, company officer development, building construction, apparatus driver operator, terrorism response, medical and rescue emergencies. This training is accomplished through a variety of opportunities from a single company in-house drill to a multi-company mutual aid drill with surrounding Fire Districts. By constantly training on these many diverse topics, the personnel are ready to respond to any request for service.
Additional Certifications Held by District Fire Fighters
In addition to basic training requirements, many district firefighters hold additional specialized certifications. These certifications include, but are not limited to, Inspector, Investigator, Driver Operator, Hazardous Materials Operations, Fire Officer I and II, and Fire Instructor I and II. Many of these certifications require additional training CEU's to maintain certification.
Higher Education
The Cottleville Fire Protection District, as a professional organization, promotes higher education as a means for hiring as well as promotion. To that end many district personnel hold Associate Degrees, Undergraduate Degrees, as well as Graduate Degrees. In addition, staff officers have attained their Executive Fire Officer (EFO) certification through the United States Fire Administration. The EFO program is a four year graduate level program that further trains and educates fire officers in executive level management within emergency services. Classes include Executive Development, Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction, Executive Analysis of Fire Department Operations in Emergency Management, and Executive Leadership. Each class is followed by a six month Applied Research Project (ARP) that must be submitted for review through the National Fire Academy (NFA).
