Membership
To Become a member of Knightdale Public Safety Fire
Rescue takes allot of time and dedication. Please
consider the following before applying:
- Minimum requirements set forth by the State of North Carolina to
maintain active membership of a fire department include that the
member undergo at least 36 hours of training annually (which is usually
achieved by attending Thursday night training and meetings.)
Knightdale Public Safety Requires 50 training hours per year, a
minimum of 25 which must be a KPS training event. The other 25 hours
may be taken at other departments, or at weekend Fire Schools offered
through the year on a state or nationwide level.
- New members must complete a Hazardous Materials Operations-Plus (36 hour
minimum) course offered through Wake County Public Safety or the NC
Community Colleges System. This meets NFPA requirement 472, minimum
competencies for emergency response personnel. This must be completed
within the first year of membership with the department, and is a requirement
for participation on an Emergency Call. This course is commonly offered on
one Thursday night and two weekends, four times a year. Refresher courses
are offered at KPS annually, and are two nights long. This re-cert is part of the
Mandatory training the department requires, and counts toward the required
75 hours annually.
- New Members must complete, and PASS the Wake County Essentials of
Firefighting School, also known as "Rookie School" . This is an intensive 2
weekend, 32 hour introduction to BASIC firefighting, and helps the potential
firefighter to meet NFPA standard 1403. NFPA 1403 is the minimum
competencies and training one must achieve before engaging in interior
firefighting operations. New members will not be permitted to engage in live
fire training with the department until this course is completed, or until the
probationary member has completed formalized firefighting training that
meets or exceeds NFPA 1403 (or as approved by the Fire Commander).
ICS
- Another requirement is that the probationary member attend an Incident
Command course. Often referred to at ICS (Incident Command System), or NIMS
(National Incident Management System); this is the basis on which fire and
emergency agencies operate on calls and scenes. It allows for interoperability
and control of what is often a hectic, or emergent situation. New members
need to complete four online training sessions within their first year,
including NIMS 700, NIMS 800.A, IS-100, IS-200. This is a requirement of the
Federal Government, specifically found in Presidential Directive 5. The
National Fire Academy Incident Command Course covers IS 100 & 200.
What next.....?
After completion of these three basic requirements, the probationary member
will have a BASIC knowledge of firefighting and emergency response, which
will provide a positive foundation for a lifetime of learning in the Fire Service.
A wise man once said "If I ever learn it all in the fire service that means its time
to quit-because no one can ever learn all there is to know in such a dynamic
profession, but merely close their mind to new knowledge and ability."
If the probationary member completes these three
courses within the first year, they will have 76 hours of
training already! These three courses can be completed
in as little as three months, or spread out over the
course of the first year.
New members and young firefighters should not strive
to only meet the minimum 75 required hours, but should
expect to receive 100-150 hours of training within their
first year!
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