P-033 Ride Along, Fire School Program

Issued By: OPERATIONS (S. Thurber)
Approved By: Fire Chief William H. Mosher
Date of Issue: 2002/04/08
Revision Date: 2009/06/19; 2009/03/23

Forms Required:  
•    FD-047R1 – Ride Along Informed Consent Form
•    FD-110- Practicum Placement Memorandum of Understanding
•    FD-111- Fire School Student Informed Consent

PURPOSE: 

The purpose of this policy is to provide fire school students, members of the public, volunteer firefighters and media members the opportunity to job shadow a firefighter in order to experience and understand the occupational requirements and working environment of a fire service. 

OBJECTIVE:

These programs are designed to give the participant a safe learning experience and provide them with a greater understanding of the job of firefighting without any negative impact on our customer service.

SCOPE:

This policy applies to fire school students, members of the public, volunteer fire fighters, media members and career fire fighters. 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES: 

Responsibilities of the Student:

When a student is offered a placement, the student must do all of the following before they will be permitted to participate:

•    Bring all necessary documentation with them when arriving for duty, including copies of the emergency contact sheet, emergency medical information and the student performance sheet or booklet;

•    Read and understand all of the policies and guidelines listed above. 

During the work term, the student shall:

•    Be on time for all assigned work shifts
•    Bring all their PPE, PAS tag, personal tools, a copy of their emergency contact sheet and a copy of their emergency medical sheet to their assigned work location each day
•    Provide their own bedding , food, personal hygiene products and clothing
•    Obtain direction from the Station Officer about work assignments, station practices (i.e. meals, use of telephone, guests in the station, house rules, etc..) and follow that direction
•    Advise the Station Officer, in advance, of any reason they may not be present for a working shift
•    Advise the Station Officer by telephone if they will be unexpectedly absent (i.e. illness)
•    Follow instructions of Officers and Firefighters
•    Promptly report any problems to their Station Officer and their fire school

HRFE management may terminate the work term of any student who does not comply with these requirements.

Responsibilities of HRFE Work Term Orientation:

•    Prior to starting work with an assigned crew at a fire station, HRFE shall provide the fire school student with an orientation session to prepare them for their work term. HRFE shall ensure the following activities are completed before the fire school student reports to their assigned fire station:
•    Operations Division will designate a station and platoon for the students’ work term (only one student and/or Ride Along shall be permitted to be assigned to a station at a time)
•    Operations Division will advise the station officer of the fire school student placement in advance of the placement date. 
•    Training Division will provide the student with orientation training on the make and model of SCBA that the student will use
•    Logistics Division will conduct a quantitative respirator fit test with the student and advise the student on the size of face piece to wear
•    Training Division will provide the student a lime green PAS tag

DEFINITIONS:

•    Ride Along: A “ride along” means a one- time visit with a working crew on duty, not exceeding the normal working hours for that job classification to a maximum to 24 hours. This program is available in stations 218.

•    Fire School Student: A “Fire School Student” means a student of a recognized fire academy who has been placed on a job experience education program which consists of several shifts working with a HRFE crew. This program is available in stations 218. 

•    Stations Tour: A “station tour” means a brief tour of a working fire station by members of the public, which does not include riding on any apparatus. Station Tours are not part of this policy see Operating Guideline # 4017.

•    Junior Firefighter: A Junior Firefighter is a youth between the ages of 14 and 17 inclusively who is enrolled in an approved Junior Firefighter Program. Junior Firefighters are not part of this policy see the “Junior Firefighter Program Terms of Reference”

POLICY: 

Ride along and fire school student programs shall be made available only with the prior approval of the Chief Director or designate. The availability of these programs is not guaranteed, and they may be refused or cancelled at any time. Persons under the age of 19 cannot participate in the ride along programs. Individuals participating in the fire school student program must be a minimum of 18 years of age.

These programs shall be conducted in accordance with all the provisions of this policy and all other policies of HRM and HRFE. Supervisors of program participants are directly responsible for the health and safety of the participants, and shall take every reasonable precaution required in the circumstance. If a Supervisor perceives that a program cannot be conducted or completed safely for any reason, they shall terminate or postpone the program and advise their manager immediately.

PROCEDURE:

Ride Along Program:

•    Members of the public who wish to participate must obtain a form FD047R1, Complete the form and submit it to HRFE headquarters for approval well in advance of the intended date of the ride along. The ride along shall not be permitted until the form is completed and signed off indicating the approval of a Deputy Chief Director.

•    These forms are available from the Administrative Assistant, Deputy Chief Director’s Operations Division or Fire Chief. Completed waiver forms may be faxed to the Administration Division for approval by the appropriate Deputy Chief Director. HRFE requires a minimum of three (3) weeks advance notice to allow for program coordination. There may be only one ride along or fire school student assigned to a station at a time.

•    Participants are responsible for providing their own bedding if completing a 24 hour shift, and their own food unless other arrangements are made with the station officer. Appropriate work clothing is required. 

•    HRFE shall provide the ride along with a set of bunker gear, a helmet and a temporary PAS Tag to be used during the shift. The PAS tag shall be pink in colour to identify a ride  along. The station officer shall ensure these items are available prior to allowing the ride along to board any apparatus.

•    A ride along may only ride an apparatus when they are seated in a unit with an enclosed cab, with seatbelt buckled at all times in accordance with Policy P 605 “Wearing of Seat Belts”.

•    At any emergency scene, a ride along shall remain in the apparatus unless otherwise directed by the Incident Commander. Under no circumstances shall a ride along assist with structural firefighting or rescue, or be present in any hazardous atmosphere.

•    Ride along participants must provide their own CSA approved safety footwear and wear it all times when on the station floor. Participants must observe all HRFE safety rules and will be under the supervision of the station officer.

•    Volunteer firefighters from outside HRM who wish to participate in a ride along must complete the FD047R1 waiver form. HRFE volunteers do not require the waiver as they are covered by VFIS Policy. 1 HRM volunteers covered by VFIS who wish to participate in a ride along must obtain approval from the Chief Director or Deputy Chief Director in advance.

Fire School Student Program:

Recognized fire training schools who wish to place their students with HRFE for a job experience work term must apply in writing to the HRFE Chief Director, at least four weeks before the desired placement date. The application letter must include the desired number of placements and the desired start and finish dates. HRFE will respond and advise the school of the number of available placement positions that we can offer, based on operation requirements.


Responsibilities of the Fire School:

If a placement position is offered to a school by HRFE, the fire school must do all of the following before the student will be permitted to participate:

•    Complete and submit a Practicum Placement Memorandum of Understanding Form FD-110 to HRFE;
•    Complete and submit a Fire School Student Informed Consent Form FD111 to HRFE;
•    Provide written certification to HRFE that the student has been trained to the level of
•    NFPA Firefighter Level I or Level II and submit a list of the NFPA skills achieved; 
•    Provide all required personal protective equipment (PPE) for the student. This equipment must be in a very good condition. It also must be clean and have legible safety labels. The minimum PPE that the school must provide before the student may participate includes NFPA approved structural firefighting ensemble (boots, pants, coat, suspenders, gloves two pair, flash hood and helmet), Nomex blend coveralls suitable for use at wild land fires and CSA approved safety footwear suitable for use in the fire station; 
•    Provide the student with at least two sets of station uniform suitable for wearing while working in a fire station;
•    Provide the student with at least a hose spanner and hand light, along with any other personal tools the school feels are required;
•    Provide HRFE with an emergency contact sheet for the student which details the method for contacting the school and the next of kin of the student in the event of an after-hours emergency;
•    Provide HRFE with any emergency medical information for the student which might be needed in the event that the student is incapacitated and cannot speak for themselves, such as chronic medical conditions or allergies
•    Provide HRFE with a student performance sheet or booklet to be completed by the Station Officer who will be responsible for the student during the work term
•    Obtain copies of the following HRFE Polices and Guidelines, provide them to the student at least two week before placement, and ensure that the student reads and understand them:

o    Code of Practice Emergency Traffic Management
o    OG 1503 Assigned Breathing Apparatus
o    OG 4002 Cleaning/Disposal Equipment Exposed to Body Fluids
o    OG 4006 Motor Vehicle Accidents Response
o    OG 4008 Car Fires
o    OG 4015 Garbage Container Fires
o    OG 4016 Evacuation of Department Personnel at an Incident
o    OG 4023 Infectious Disease Control
o    P 005 Smoke Free
o    P 012 Accident Incident Reporting
o    P 019 Clothing and Appearance
o    P 020 Rules and Regulations
o    P 033 Ride Along / Fire School Program
o    P 419 Use of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
o    P 601 Health and Safety Information
o    P 604 Safe Operations of Department Vehicles
o    P 605 Wearing of Seatbelts
o    P 606 Structure Fires First Arriving Crew
o    P 607 Personal Protective Equipment
o    P 608 Personal Protective Clothing in Living Spaces 
o    P 613 Fall Protection
o    Procedure Manual “ Incident Command System”
o    HRM Corporate Policy “ Anti-Harassment Policy”

Conduct of the Work Term

The fire school program is meant to provide the student with a learning opportunity which will help prepare them for a future career as a firefighter. The work term should allow the student to get a “hands on” work experience to the fullest extent possible, but the safety of the student and the firefighters must always be the prime consideration when deciding what the student may, or may not, do.

If the station officer responsible feels it is reasonable and safe, fire school students may perform the following tasks. If, at any time, the officer feels it is not safe, they may terminate or suspend the student's participation in the activity, at their sole discretion. Students may:

•    operate as a member of a fire suppression crew under the direct control of a qualified officer
•    fight interior fires along with their crew, under the supervision of a qualified officer
•    perform the duties of a Medical First Responder, under the supervision of an officer
•    conduct vehicle extrication, under the supervision of an officer
•    operate fire pumps in training (nonemergency) situations under the direct supervision of a qualified engineer and officer
•    participate in training as a part of their crew
•    perform regular station maintenance as a part of their crew
•    assist their crew with station tours

Regardless of their training or experience, a student shall not:

•    drive any apparatus or HRM vehicle
•    perform the duties of a firefighter engineer (i.e. pumping) at an emergency scene
•    perform fire suppression activities without the direct supervision of an officer
•    perform the duties of a technical rescuer in confined space, technical rope rescue, trench rescue, surface ice rescue or urban search & rescue
•    conduct the duties of a hazardous materials technician or perform decontamination at a hazardous materials emergency
•    be paired with a probationary firefighter during emergency responses
•    work alone under any circumstance
•    ride on any apparatus, boat or other vehicle which is not yet in regular service with HRFE

In a case where the participation of a student in an activity not listed in this policy is in question, the station officer shall seek guidance from the Platoon Chief.

RELATED POLICIES/ OPERATING GUIDELINES:

•    P-605 Wearing of Seatbelts
•    OG 4017 Fire Hall Tours

POLICY REVIEW:

This policy shall be reviewed when/if there are changes/amendments made to the Fire School Program or to the Ride Along Program.