State Fire Training: COVID-19

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Good afternoon,

I hope this finds you all well and safe.

CAL FIRE staff, at all levels of the organization, continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on a daily basis to ensure that we are taking the proper precautions for our staff and State Fire Training stakeholders. This email serves to address some of the inquiries received regarding Fire Fighter Academy and course contingency amongst the Accredited Regional Training Programs (ARTPs) and Accredited Local Academies (ALAs) of California.

Last week, an email was sent to Matt Jewett, President of the California Fire Technology Directors Association (CFTDA), advising of the options that ARTPs have with distance learning. Additionally, an Informational Bulletin was drafted for SFT stakeholders, which will provide guidance on how SFT will support our students, academies, instructors, and host agencies while dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. Specifically, this document reminds stakeholders that only ARTPs and ALAs may deliver SFT courses through distance education (online and hybrid courses). This document has been attached here for your use and will be posted to the SFT website and sent to subscribers of SFT E-News. I have also attached the updated Electronic Delivery application for your use in transitioning courses to a distance learning format.

In light of current events, SFT will be considering approval of applicable Fire Fighter 1 and 2 Academy curriculum, as appropriate. The same standards of quality shall be applied to any portion of the course conducted electronically as are applied to traditional classroom courses.

IMPORTANT: Electronic Delivery requests may be submitted via email directly to Chief Fowler at [email protected] and please cc me on your emails, I will ensure its receipt and expedited processing (it is okay to forego the postal mailing address at this time).

Rest assured, should state services be halted, I will remain accessible via phone and email. My intent is ensure any changes are made with ease for you, the stakeholders of State Fire Training. I appreciate your patience and adaptability, and welcome your correspondence.

Take care and be safe,

Caryn R. Petty, Deputy State Fire Marshal/Paramedic

State Fire Training, Regional Coordinator

The Office of the State Fire Marshal

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2251 Harvard Street, Suite 400

Sacramento, CA 95815

(916) 662-0611 mobile

[email protected]

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May CFTDA Meeting Has Been Cancelled

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May CFTDA Meeting Has Been Cancelled. We will be sending out updates in May from SFT, STEAC, CARB, CCCCO Public Safety Advisory Committee, and the SFT Steering Committee.

Also, I would like to conduct a poll of who to find out what you all are doing for your Fire Academy Programs. Please email [email protected] to share if you have cancelled your academy or kept it running. Thank you

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State Fire Training COVID19 Letter

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Hi Everyone,

I asked SFT to give us their stance on COVID19 and mandatory campus transitions to distance education and campus closures. Chief Henning put together very clear language on their expectations for ARTP’s. I also sat through the Public Safety Deans zoom meting this morning. The majority of the participants are keeping their academy programs open during “Tier 2” implementation. When I receive additional information I will discriminate it to you. Do not hesitate to call me at 530-718-4853 if you have questions. Please review the following document:

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February STEAC Notes

To all CFTDA member, my notes from the February STEAC meeting are included below. Items I would encourage you to read which potentially have the greatest impact to our programs are:

  • Fire Control Instructor
  • FFII Tenured Path
  • Behavioral Health/Cancer Awareness
  • SFT Fee Report, and
  • Psychomotor Skills Evaluator requirements

If you have any questions regarding these items, feel free to contact me at: [email protected] or 707 953-7763.

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Hayward Award 2020 – Tracy Rickman

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 Sent on behalf of Superintendent/President Dr. Arturo Reyes:

On behalf of the Board of the Trustees and the Academic Senate, I am pleased to announce that Tracy Rickman, former Fire Academy Coordinator, will be honored with the Hayward Award for “Excellence in Education” at the March 2020 Board of Governors meeting in Sacramento.

This award, which is sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, recognizes community college faculty who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to their students, college and profession on an annual basis. Tracy Rickman was nominated by our Academic Senate for his outstanding service to Río Hondo College for 22 years and his active participation on campus. There are only four (4) award recipients for this prestigious award each year: two full-time and two part-time faculty.

The competition is high as each local Academic Senate can submit a nomination. The nominees from the entire state are then reviewed and selected by a selection committee and ranked on their commitment to: serving and empowering students from diverse background and experiences; campus, professional, and/or student activities; education and currency in their discipline; the mission of the California community colleges and open access; and, the community, state, and/or national activities that represent their profession.

Tracy Rickman was featured in the October 2019 issue of the Focus on Río e-newsletter in October 2019.  In case you missed it, below is a screenshot of the profile where you could read all about his extensive background and contribution to Río Hondo College.  The website links to both the e-newsletter and the news article in the Greenleaf Guardian are also below.

Please join me in congratulating Tracy Rickman!

https://www.riohondo.edu/president/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2019/11/Focus-on-Rio_Oct-112119.pdf

https://www.greenleafguardian.com/rio-hondo-fire-academy-chief-calls-it-a-career/

Congratulations!

Dr. Arturo Reyes
Superintendent/President
Rio Hondo College
3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, CA 90601
(562) 908-3403 /FAX (562) 908-3463 | [email protected]

www.riohondo.edu

 

 

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State Fire Training – ALA/ARTP Site Evaluations 2020 (Invitation)

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State Fire Training – ALA/ARTP Site Evaluations 2020 (Invitation)

There are several Accredited Local Academy (ALA) and Accredited Regional Training Program (ARTP) re-accreditations taking place in 2020 and as a member of CFTDA and the ARTP system, you are invited to attend any/all of these events. Please review the departments/colleges listed below and let me know if you have an interest in participating. Once the Site Evaluation dates have been scheduled, you will be contacted to attend.

Please note, re-accreditation observations attendees will assume their own travel/per diem costs.

NEW (not yet scheduled)

  • Merritt College (anticipated Summer 2020)
  • Cosumnes River College (anticipated Spring 2020)

 

(NOTE: The Chart below reflects only outstanding Site Evaluations. Completed Evaluations have been removed).

ALA ARTP
 

First Quarter

January – March 2020

 
 

Second Quarter

April – June 2020

 

 Sacramento FD Santa Rosa Junior College (EXTENSION to late 2021)
 

 

 

Third Quarter

July – September 2020

 

 San Pasqual Reservation FD

Livermore/Pleasanton FD

 Antelope Valley College (EXTENSION to 2021)

City College of SF

College of the Sequoias

College of the Siskiyous

Monterey Peninsula College

Moreno Valley College

Porterville Community College

Victor Valley College

Yuba College
 

Fourth Quarter

October – December 2020

 

 San Diego Fire-Rescue Dept Lake Tahoe Community College

South Bay Regional Safety Consortium

 

Thank you for your continued support of State Fire Training.

 

Caryn R. Petty, Deputy State Fire Marshal/Paramedic

State Fire Training, Regional Coordinator

The Office of the State Fire Marshal

2251 Harvard Street, Suite 400

Sacramento, CA 95815

(916) 662-0611 mobile

[email protected]

 

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EMT Instructional Lab Technician Job Posting

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EMT Instructional Lab Technician Job Posting:

The direct link for the job posting is: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/vcccd/jobs/2677454/instructional-lab-technician-i-emt?keywords=emt&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs I have also attached the job bulletin for this opening, so please feel free to share it with any colleagues or other individuals who may be interested, or may know someone who is, in the position.

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FC3 PACE Process Approved

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As many of you are aware SFT will soon be adopting changes to FC3 course including requirements for existing instructors to obtain S-404, ICS-300 as well as attend their new 24 hour FSTEP Fire Control course. Because the CFTDA recognized this would create a hardship for many of the ARTP’s, FC3 Cadre Lead Kevin Conant was kind enough to work with us to create a PACE process that was “streamlined” as much possible. To that end, if you have approved FC3 instructors you are using in your academies to fulfill this requirement, you will find enclosed the process to complete the PACE review as well as for copies of the applicable documents you will need to submit. To do so, your FC3 instructor will need to prepare the following documents (samples of most are enclosed):

  1. Applicants cover letter.
  2. A resume
  3. A portfolio of Live Fire Training Instruction
  4. (All Fees Waived per Implementation Plan)
  5. The SFT Instructor Application
  6. A copy of their SFT Acadis Professional History Report (“transcript”) in lieu of copies of their certificates.  If we have it on their Professional History Report then copies of certs are not necessary.

In addition, as the ARTP Director, you will need to prepare a “cover” letter for your instructor, attesting they have met the applicable requirements (Draft FC3 ARTP letter enclosed). Because the fees normally charged for PACE have been waived temporarily, you are encouraged to take advantage of this process sooner rather than later. This will be a discussion item at February’s CFTDA meeting at College of the Desert so please attend if you have questions. Otherwise, you can reach me at [email protected].

Respectfully,

Randy Collins, CFTDA STEAC Rep.

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