Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company - Firefighters Certified

The purpose of the state certification program is to identify and recognize emergency service personnel whose accomplishments in training and education meets or exceeds nationally recognized standards. The NFPA standards for Fire Service Professional Qualifications identify the minimum requirements for a person at a particular level of progression. A person certified to one of the Fire Service Professional levels will have demonstrated competency in the knowledge and skills required to perform at a particular level. The service that can be offered to the citizens and communities of the Commonwealth will be enhanced by the professional competency obtained through this certification process.

All members of the Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company are required to take an Essentials of Firefighting course within two years of joining the company. In addition to having an essentials course, Firefighter I applicants must be trained in basic first aid and CPR, Hazardous Material Awareness Level, and have participated in a structural burn session. As part of the application process firefighters must also create a prevention, preparedness, and maintenance program. This includes a diagram of the applicant's home with certain items such as smoke detectors, doors, windows, and an escape route clearly marked.

In March 2006 firefighters Shawn Ostrander and Brandon Trent took the Firefighter I test at the Somerset County Fire School under direction of site supervisor Dan Buck. Both firefighters passed the tests and were awarded their certification through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. Prior to the certification of firefighters Ostrander and Trent, the Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company had 10 firefighters who had obtained Firefighter I certification.

After obtaining certification at the Firefighter I level, firefighters may take further courses in preparation for Firefighter II certification. Prerequisites for applying to take the Firefighter II test include training at the Hazmat Operations Level, and certification in vehicle rescue through the PA Department of Health (or equivalent state fire academy courses). As part of the application, firefighters must complete an incident report for their department, preplan a commercial structure, create detailed diagrams and floor plans of the structure, and develop a plan of action in case of an emergency. While the skill stations for Firefighter II are not as strenuous as those performed for Firefighter I, the written test is much more difficult. In April 2006 Sipesville firefighter Seth Forry successfully passed both the written and practical portions of the test. Firefighter Nick Lottig also passed the certification test in September. Forry and Lottig join Chief Scott Kovach and firefighter Patrick Madigan at the Firefighter II certification level.

Topics covered in both the Firefighter I & II certification tests and skill stations include fire department organization, safety, fire alarms and communication, fire behavior, portable extinguishers, personal protective equipment, forcible entry, ventilation, ropes/knots, ladders, fire hose/appliances/streams, foam fire streams, fire control, salvage, overhaul, emergency medical care, rescue, water supplies, sprinklers, response to hazardous materials incidents, and fire prevention/public fire education/fire cause determination, and

In recognition of all fire departments that actively support the Pennsylvania Fire Service Certification Program, the FSCAC recommended that the Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) recognize them for their efforts in promoting certification. The Participating Department Recognition Program was established in 1999 to do just that. Any emergency service organization which has 10 % of its “active” members certified at any level is eligible for recognition by the OSFC. Those organizations that have 50%, 75%, or 100% of their “active” members certified receive special recognition. All organizations recognized receive a certificate for public display and large decals for their apparatus. The Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company is proud to be one of only two departments in the county recognized as having reached (and surpassed) the 75% silver certification level.