National Fire Academy Adds New Chemistry Course to NFA Online

EMMITSBURG, MD – The U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) announces the availability of a new NFA Online course: Foundational Concepts of Chemistry (Q228). Completion of Q228 is recommended prior to attending all NFA Hazardous Materials curriculum courses and is a precourse assignment for Chemistry for Emergency Response (R233) and Advanced Life Support Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents (R247). Beginning in October 2013, Foundational Concepts of Chemistry will be a prerequisite for acceptance into those courses. The course is approved for .4 Continuing Education Units (CEU).

Foundational Concepts of Chemistry provides students with fundamental knowledge to prepare for the more advanced Hazardous Materials curriculum courses.

There are currently 54 online courses available through NFA Online with topics including Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Response to Terrorism, Fire Prevention, Incident Management, Management Science, Public Education, and Wildland Firefighting. Students can access NFA Online at www.nfaonline.dhs.gov

For more information about the Hazardous Materials / Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) curriculum or other USFA programs and offerings, visit www.usfa.fema.gov. You can also follow USFA updates on Twitter at twitter.com/usfire

National Fire Academy Begins Eighth Year of Coffee Break Training

The U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) recently began its eighth year of providing timely and useful instructional tips for first responders through its popular online Coffee Break Training series.

Launched on November 29, 2005, Coffee Break Training consists of one-topic weekly training vignettes delivered to USFA website visitors and more than 43,000 email subscribers in the U.S. and around the world. Each training item is designed to be consumed in just a few minutes over a "cup of coffee." The NFA has delivered more than 350 of these training segments since the program began.

The initial Coffee Break series focused on fire protection topics such as automatic sprinkler systems, building and fire codes, fire protection water supplies, and safe storage practices. From time to time there are special lessons developed called "Hot Coffee" (significant emerging issues) and "Special Blend" (reminders of historically significant events / lessons learned). In the last few years, the Coffee Break series has expanded to include fire investigation, fire prevention management, public education, emergency medical services, and research techniques at the NETC Learning Resource Center. Recently, other parts of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency began adopting the NFA’s Coffee Break model.

U.S. Fire Administrator Ernie Mitchell said, "The Coffee Break Training series is one of our most popular media for sharing up-to-the minute training. Busy first responders can get a quick and easy-to-read training tip that they can apply the same day it appears."

Deputy Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines added, "The purpose of the Coffee Break Training program is to deliver provocative topics with measurable learning objectives. They are modeled on Gordon Graham’s insightful ‘five minutes of short, verifiable training’ that over time accumulates into real performance improvements."

Students who receive the Coffee Break Training series can earn free continuing education units through quarterly exams posted on NFA Online.

For more information, or to sign up for the free Coffee Break Training series, visit the USFA's website.

National Fire Academy Completes New Emergency Medical Services Courses

EMMITSBURG, MD - The U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) has completed development of the first two new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses in response to the U.S. Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008.  An additional six courses are in the process of development or revision.  The Reauthorization Act included direction for the National Fire Academy to provide advanced EMS training.

"In recognition of the value that fire-service based EMS provides American communities, the USFA's NFA is revising and improving the EMS program to meet the needs of EMS agencies," said NFA Superintendent Dr. Denis Onieal.  "The EMS curriculum now offers courses specifically identified as gaps in EMS education that prepare today's EMS leaders to better manage their system's response abilities and organizational quality control."

The two new EMS courses are Emergency Medical Services Quality Management (EMS QM) and Emergency Medical Services Functions in the Incident Command System (EMS FICS).  EMS QM is a six-day course offering to be conducted on the NETC campus, while EMS FICS is a two-day course offering to be conducted either on the NETC campus or locally through partnerships with State and metropolitan fire service training organizations.

For more information about the new EMS curriculum or other USFA programs and offerings, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov.  You can also follow USFA updates on Twitter at twitter.com/usfire.

This article was sponsored by Firefighter Books.