Training

Municipal Training Officer
The Training Office is staffed by the "MTO" or Municipal Training Officer. The MTO has access to all four shifts of firefighters. The responsibilities of the MTO include training new firefighters, making sure that current firefighters complete their required training classes and activities, scheduling training exercises and drills, reviewing training procedures and policies, and maintaining the training and certification records of all firefighters in the Elmira Fire Department. The MTO also serves as the Safety Officer at the scene of any structure fire or major incident. As a Safety Officer he monitors the incident for various hazards and works closely with the Incident Commander to make sure everyone is constantly accounted for. The Municipal Training Officer will often use the experiences observed from the fire or incident scene to determine any additional or special training necessary for firefighters in the department.
»Click here to send email to the Municipal Training Officer

Municipal Fire Instructors
Each of the four shifts has four state certified Municipal Fire Instructor's or, "MFI"s. The MFI is an extension of the MTO and carries out training at the company level. MFIs are company officers and are responsible for training firefighters at various everyday tasks and reviewing training that has occurred with the MTO.

Types of Training Exercises
Training exercises vary from standard certification/recertification courses and annual mandatory training to refresher courses on life-saving techniques and training on new equipment/technologies. Firefighters are required by the state to complete a minimum of 100 hours of training.

Training Topics Include:

• Rope Rescue
  
• Weapons of Mass Destruction
  
• Fireground Operations
  
• Hazardous Materials
  
• Code Enforcement
  
• Water Rescue
  
• Ice Rescue
  
• Confined Space Rescue
  
• Prehospital Emergency Care
  

In 2004, firefighters averaged 194 hours of training in-house and off-site at other locations.

Browse through the Gallery of Training Exercises to see the Elmira Fire Department hard at work during training exercises.
»View the Training Gallery


Specialized Training
For specialized areas of training, outside agencies and individuals are brought in on a regular basis. Individuals from the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Conservation, Norfolk Southern Railroad, NYSEG, Lourdes Hospital, EMSTAR, the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and many others have all volunteered their time to teach their areas of expertise.

On-Site Training
In addition to regular training exercises, the Elmira Fire Department conducts on-site training exercises at various locations throughout the City of Elmira. On-site training has allowed firefighters to become familiar with industrial high risk locations as well as locations with a large resident population that would need to be evacuated. These exercises prepare firefighters for situations they could encounter should an incident occur on the site.

Off-Site Training
Firefighters attend training courses at various locations outside the city. Several courses are attended at the Fire Academy in Montour Falls. Several individuals have traveled to Anniston, Alabama to the Department of Homeland Security's Training Facility. This training is mostly geared towards Weapons of Mass Destruction. Other seminars and training are attended at various locations throughout the state on an annual basis.

Facility Tours
Firefighters not only become familiar with the various buildings in the city through commercial fire inspections but also conduct occasional tours of higher risks facilities to become familiar with specific hazard areas.

In-House Training
The Elmira Fire Department Training Office features modern training facilities to provide firefighters a classroom environment in which to train and learn. The Training Office is a fully operational classroom with a wall-mounted television and VCR, a ceiling mounted digital LCD projector, and a dry erase whiteboard. The Training Officer has a laptop, digital camera, and a digital videocamera at his disposal to document and record training exercises. This allows firefighters to review their training and observe both right and wrong practices. It also allows for a "mobile" training unit, permitting the Training Officer to take presentations, movies, and pictures to off-site locations.

New Firefighter Training
New firefighters begin their career attending the fire academy and completing 229 hours of basic training. There are several academies throughout New York State that the Elmira Fire Department utilizes. Prior to attending the academy, prospective firefighters are put through several training scenarios to expose them to the types of situations that they will encounter once on the job. For example, prospective firefighters perform various rigorous search exercises while in full turnout gear using self contained breathing apparatus. Usually the face mask is covered with tape to simulate zero visibility. All of these exercises help an individual to determine early on whether he or she wants to continue in this type of a profession.

Special Thanks
The Elmira Fire Department wishes to thank the following individuals for their generous donation of time to the Elmira Fire Department.

• Dr. James Radin - Lourdes Hospital
  
• Judy Blair - EMSTAR
  
• Vanessa and Bill Jewitt - EMSTAR
  
• Scott Rodabaugh - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
  
• Edward Fletcher - OFPC, Hazmat Division
  
• Scott Epps - OFPC, Hazmat Division
  
• Andy Pohl - OFPC, Hazmat Division
  
• Roger Scofield - OFPC, WMD Division
  
• Duane Bingham - OFPC, Hazmat Division
  
• John Illingworth - OFPC, Hazmat Division
  
• Asst. Chief Lee Bergeron - Nashville Fire Department Hazmat
  
• Charles Rybak - Elmira Waterboard
  
• Chief Bruce Craft - Elmira Psych Center
  
• Frank Cicora - LaFrance Equipment
  
• Bob Emmick - Elmira Reformatory
  
• Harold Brill - Norfolk Southern Railroad
  
• Scott Breese - NYS Dept. of Transportation
  
• Peter Aiello - NYS Division of Codes
  
• Rick Morley - Hazard Technologies
  
• Doug Moore - RD Murray Fire Equipment
  
• Tom Szczepaniak - OFPC HazMat Division
  
• Mike Shanahan - OFPC, Rescue Division
  
• Pete Rizzo - OFPC, Rescue Division
  
• Willis Sheldon - OFPC Rescue Division
  
• Robert Duemmel - OFPC Rescue Division
  
• Al Gregory - OFPC, Rescue Division
  
• Tom Rogan - OFPC, Rescue Division
  
• Tom McCartney - OFPC, HazMat Division
  
• Mike Smith - Chemung County EMO
  
• Jim Shine - Retired Binghamton Fire Dept.
  
• Linda Morton - Elmira College
  
• Herb Furman - Kennedy Valve
  
• Jeff Burger - Old Station 4 Preservation Society
• Sam Danna - Verizon Communications
  
• Jan VanderBlink - VP Hilliard Corp.
  
• Tom Oliver - Hilliard Corp.
  
• Jeff Post - Hilliard Corp.
  
• Kristin Card - Emergency Management Office
  
• Dave Sayles - Radiation Specialist: OFPC
  
• Don Brimmer - Elmira College