Fannin County Fire Department Training Officer Dale Stiles has implemented new interactive trainings for employees at the fire department that will help to alleviate training hour issues faced in the past.
Last week, The News Observer reported that an incorrect paperwork submission had resulted in the improper certificate for seven paramedic firefighters. Stiles, who became the training officer in November of last year, discovered the issue around a month ago when he was going through certificate paperwork and planning for more structured training. Once he discovered it, he alerted Fire Chief Larry Thomas and the two took it to higher ups.
While the affected employees do have the correct training, they will have to retest in late October to attain the proper certification.
Stiles explained that, prior to his taking the position of training officer, training was not structured.
“The training was never structured at all,” he said. “It was kind of sporadic with different stations doing their own thing. Where I came from, we had structured training, like each month we had stuff to do. That’s kind of what I’ve done here. I got in touch with Hall County, and they have interactive training that gives EMS continuing education so that our EMT-Bs all the way up to paramedics can get their state and national registry continuing education hours, because you’ve got to meet so many of those every two years. That allows them to meet their EMS education. Plus they get something different each month.”
EMS, Fire, Driver Operator, Hazmat and Officer training is received through this interactive training, and Stiles explained that the training uses powerpoint presentations, knowledge based tests and practical exercises.
“There’s actual practical exercises that have to be done along with it,” Stiles said. “It’s not just sitting down in front of a computer and doing it. There’s actual hands-on stuff that goes along with it that has actually been working very well for us. Especially when they don’t really want us getting close together and with social distancing right now.”
Stiles explained that the time spent in training has actually been doubled so far this year thanks to the interactive training.
“With that program, it fixes, kind of, all of our issues,” Stiles said. “But that only fixes it now. You can’t help the past.”
Officials from the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund told The News Observer that they are looking into a lack of training in Fannin County that could result in pension issues for firefighters. According to Member Services representative David Luther, every firefighter is required to receive eight hours of training per month. Luther explained that Fannin had only received “a small fraction of that.”
According to Stiles, the new interactive training will also help to alleviate issues with pension fund required training hours.
“That (interactive training) satisfies the pension fund,” Stiles said. “They’re on board with it, because with the pension fund you have to do at least eight hours a month, and this offers 10 or 11. It’s really good for us.”
Fannin County Fire Department training hours, provided by Thomas, show that the county received 3,369.50 hours during 270 classes in 2019. The majority of those hours came in December during recruit classes. So far, for 2020, the department has provided 424.50 hours during 115 classes.