All,
Thanks to the efforts of German Sierra at Las Positas College, the Haz-Mat unit for his FFI academy has been approved by SFT for on-line delivery. To that end, all the associated paperwork they required has been shared as a template for your use below. Please note, that while this is an extremely helpful step in allowing us to continue our academies during these difficult times, there are some limitations you may wish to consider before pursing. These include:
- It relies on CANVAS instruction using discussions, conferences, ZOOM, Pictorio and other tools
- The approval is for a “one time” delivery per SFT
- It is not CSTI approved
- Students will still need to perform Haz-Mat skills testing as normal
- It relies on the use of virtual self-paced lectures from Jones/Bartlett and other publishers
If you are reading this prior to Tuesday March 24, please note there will be a Zoom Conference call to discuss transitioning as much of our FFI Academies to on-line delivery which you are encouraged to participate in. Information on how to attend can be found on the home page of the CFTDA website.
If you have questions regarding this information feel free to contact German at: [email protected]. My thanks to German, his Public Safety Manager Chad McMullen, his Academy Coordinator Chief Lacey and CFTDA Matt Jewett for initiating these efforts.
Randy Collins,
CFTDA STEAC Rep.
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
2251 Harvard Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 662-0611 mobile
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
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:
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.
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
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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 | |
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First Quarter January – March 2020
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Second Quarter April – June 2020
|
Sacramento FD | Santa Rosa Junior College (EXTENSION to late 2021) |
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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 |
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Fourth Quarter October – December 2020
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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