Vermont Fire Academy

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Workshops

Upcoming Assistance to Firefighters Grant Workshops will help potential applicants understand the purpose of the FY 2012 AFG Program, changes since FY 2011, funding priorities, award evaluation, and a brief description other AFG funding opportunities.

May 14, 2012 – 7:00pm – Gregg Public Safety Academy, 646 Union Street, Suite 600, Littleton, NH 03561
May 15, 2012 – 7:00pm – White River Junction @ Hartford Fire Dept., 812 VA Cutoff Road, Hartford, VT 05001
May 16, 2012 – 7:00pm – Williston Fire Department, 645 Talcott Road, Williston, VT 05495
May 17, 2012 – 7:00pm – Vermont Fire Academy, 93 Davison Drive, Pittsford, VT 05763

This year FEMA Region 1 will be offering the 2012 AFG Workshop in a WEBINAR format. The WEBINAR’s are scheduled as follows:

May 16, 2012 - 2:00pm
May 23, 2012 - 2:00pm
May 30, 2012 - 5:00pm
June 5, 2012 - 5:00pm
June 8, 2012 - 10:00am
June 12, 2012 - 5:00pm
June 15, 2012 - 10:00am

To participate in any / all of the WEBINARS please contact Murtuza Banglawala at 617-956-7551 or Murtuza.Banglawala@associates.fema.dhs.gov for the LOG IN information.

VFA Seeking Hosts for Certification Programs

It’s that time of year again and the Vermont Fire Academy is seeking potential host sites for our Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Officer I and II, and Pumper Apparatus Driver Operator certification courses. If your department is interested in hosting a course at your location, please complete a Request for Training form and return it to us for consideration.

Remember, there is a 15 student minimum required for hosting most certification programs. We encourage your efforts to include as many of your neighbors as possible in order to maximize the number of participating students. If you are thinking of hosting but are not quite sure of what is involved, let us know your questions and concerns, we’ll be glad to help.

We look forward to hearing from you by May 31, 2012 and thanks for your interest in improving the safety of Vermont’s fire service.

Guide to Hosting a VFA Program

The purpose of this information is to provide some important information for Fire Department’s (FD) to consider when desiring to host a Firefighter training program in their departments throughout the year.

Annually, the Vermont Fire Academy (VFA) looks for good locations around the state, in local FD’s or their communities, to host firefighter certification training programs. In FY 2012, 13 FD’s and the VFA hosted Firefighter certification programs in 9 different Vermont counties.

When starting to plan for a certification course please be aware that the typical number of enrolled students for a Firefighter I or II program is 25 and the minimum number of students required to host is 15 students. This is important to know for choosing the size of the classroom, number of tables and chairs and parking. Also, be aware that the impact to the FD’s facilities and operations will last from roughly September to about May of the next year. We encourage the use of well lit heated rooms, with comfortable seating and tables large enough for students to be able to follow along in their student manuals and take notes at the same time. (3 students per 8’ table usually works out ok).

Fire Departments are welcome to submit a “Request for Training” form anytime between March 1 to June 1 each year for determining the actual certification course locations. For a list of programs that are available, please click on the “course catalog” tab on our website.

Hosting FD Selection Process:

The locations are finalized by the VFA Staff and Vermont Fire Training Council (VFSTC) at the June VFSTC meeting, from the requests received. The awarded courses usually will start in late summer / early fall of that same year. During the selection process, considerations are also made to move the hosting sites around every year, again based on the course requests received. PLEASE NOTE: We are not able to consider your site if we do not have a completed Request for Training form to review on your behalf.

If your department, Mutual Aid system, County Association or any other combination of interested fire and allied agencies would like to host any firefighter certification training program in the upcoming fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), please submit a Request for Training form between March 1 and June 1 each year for consideration.

Thank you for your interest in fire service education and please contact us with any questions you may have.

Upcoming Programs

Visit our Upcoming Courses page for a complete list of scheduled programs.

Fire Instructor I - Vergennes
Begins June 7, 2012

This program is designed to qualify fire or emergency service responders to deliver instruction from a prepared lesson plan. Upon successful completion, students are awarded nationally registered certifications in accordance with NFPA standard 1041-2007 edition.

2012 Three-State Weekend at the National Fire Academy
September 22 & 23, 2012

Join us for Three-State Weekend at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD as firefighters from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Alabama join together for a weekend of training. A wide variety of courses are being offered including: