After you have completed your basic training, you will be able to form part of the crew. However, you will need to pass a number of other courses before you are considered fully competent.
Depending on the experience you gain and the work you are able to put in, you should hope to complete this in around 24-36 months.
These additional courses are:
- Casualty care -three day course. Training in life-saving skills including basic life support for adults and children, use of semi-automated external defibrillator, oxygen administration in a pre-hospital environment, trauma care, catastrophic bleeding treatment and dealing with common medical conditions.
- Road traffic collision – five day course. Using specialist equipment to extricate casualties from vehicles, demonstrating casualty care skills to provide vital support to medical personnel and working alongside other agencies.
- Breathing Apparatus – ten days, Monday to Friday, two consecutive weeks. Gaining the knowledge and skills to respond as part of a highly trained team at incidents such as property fires, vehicle fires and hazardous materials. Although this can be demanding, both physically and mentally, it is a key skill.
- Live Fire – usually a one day course
Alongside this, you will be assigned a mentor, who will help to guide you through the Firefighter Development Programme. This is divided into the stages you need to complete and identifies the skills you must show at each point.
At the end of each stage is an assessment, where you must demonstrate your competencies.