Lake County Fire Rescue personnel recently attended the National Fire Academy’s Florida State Weekend training in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The classes offer firefighters an opportunity to further their experience and education with instruction from subject-matter experts. Alongside their peers from Maine and Indiana, five Lake County firefighters studied fire investigation, firefighter safety, strategy and tactics for the initial arriving company officer.
To date, more than 50 Lake County firefighters have attended the academy.
“While the national average for fire departments is less than 2 percent attendance, Lake County is very proud that 25 percent of its staff have now attended this national training— an unbelievable accomplishment,” Fire Chief Jim Dickerson said. “Since 2014, Lake County has allowed me to take firefighters, who have never attended this prestigious school, for the Florida State weekend. Although the weekend delivery is a small snapshot of what is offered to fire service personnel worldwide, every attendee is exposed to the National Fire Academy in the hopes each will return for a week-long course.”
Attendance to the academy is free and provides endless opportunities to network with fire service professionals throughout the world. Chief Dickerson plans to bring additional firefighters to the training next year.
Lake County Fire Rescue protects county residents and visitors in an area covering approximately 1,200 square miles, with nearly 70,000 residences and up to 2,000 commercial properties. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/LakeCountyFireRescue or www.twitter.com/lakefirePIO.
