Oak Ridge Fire Department ranks second in state academy training hours

The Oak Ridge Fire Department recently learned it ranked second in the state in total training hours through a state fire academy.

The department completed 3,970 hours of training through the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy during fiscal year 2012, which ended June 30.

Oak Ridge ranked second among 734 fire departments, a city press release said.

The release said Oak Ridge Fire Department employees completed training in multiple disciplines such as basic firefighter, arson investigation, fire instructor, fire officer, and pump operations.

“The training hours through the academy require a tremendous amount of time and dedication by the members of the organization but only represent a portion of the training completed by Oak Ridge Fire Department members,” the press release said.

As of July 31, Fire Department staff members had completed a total of 9,397 hours of training since Jan. 1 through the State Academy, National Fire Academy, and in-house training, the release said. The department strives to ensure that each employee achieves 240 hours of training per firefighter each year as required by the National Fire Protection Association and the Insurance Service Office.

“As a result of these recent trainings, the department recently had 10 members achieve national certification as Fire Instructor I,” the release said.