Federal Grant to Orland Fire District Will Go Toward Training

The will receive a $302,000 federal grant to build consistent communication with neighboring departments when they assist each other.

The grant, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a $75,600 match from the Orland district will cover costs to train Orland firefighters, as well as those from about 44 other nearby departments.  The training will combine 50 hours of online course work firefighters can perform at their departments, followed by training simulations at Orland Fire’s Command Training Center.

The training will focus on calls that firefighters locally go on about 95 percent of the time, said Orland Fire Lt. David Piper. The goal is to get different departments that work together to use the same processes when managing an emergency, thereby working more efficiently and safely, said Orland Fire Acing Chief Raymond Kay.

“This program is designed so when we’re on the scene we can operate more seamlessly with neighbors,” Kay said. “If you check the national reports written about firefighter injuries and fatalities, command and control, this issue is listed near the top as a common cause for failure. We understand that and we want to train to get past that.”

The training fits federal guidelines for managing disasters and incidents according to the National Incident Management System, or NIMS, Piper said. NIMS is a template for handling emergencies assembled after the 9/11 attacks that organizes responses on as local a level as possible, assigning roles and tasks to different people depending on their specialties.

The grant-covered fire training stems from NIMS, adapted to focus on firefighters and the roles they play in an emergency. Called Blue Card Command Certification, the training requires 12 hours of exercises a year for three years, after the 50-hour online course.

Orland Fire Engineer John Purtill, Lt. Joe Moore, Finance Director Kerry Sullivan and Piper all assembled the necessary paperwork required for the grant.

Orland Fire Board President James Hickey credited lobbyist Cheryl Axley for her assistance as well in obtaining the grant for the district.