Fire Training Division The Bayou Cane Fire Protection District’s Training Division is under the care and direction of Assistant Fire Chief Kenny Hill. Our training facilities are located at the Central Fire Station on West Main St. We have a training field which is several acres in size, a 5-story training tower equipped with FDC connections, sprinklers, knox box. Last year we added a significant amount of concrete to facilitate positioning apparatus around the circumference of the building. This tower can be utilized for rappelling or hose evolutions as well as search and rescue techniques. It is also utilized for evaluating new firefighter candidates. Our facility is offered to other area fire districts to utilize if they need to.

Our training field is utilized for hose evolutions, hazardous materials and special operations training. We are currently remodeling a building behind our Central Fire Station are planning on utilizing it as our new classroom training facility. It will have computers for computer based training, televisions, projectors, chairs, desks, and writing boards. This facility can be used for gatherings and meetings also. We frequently host training classes from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Louisiana State University's Fire and Emergency Training Institute, as well as Fire Officer and Fire Instructor classes utilizing our own in-house Instructors. We host emergency medical training from various instructors as well.

Newly hired fire suppression personnel attending the academy are referred to as recruits. Recruits attend the academy for four and half months to improve their minds and bodies to enable them to serve the public needs.

While attending the eighteen week academy, recruits are trained and certified to Louisiana State Firefighter I & II classification, and Hazardous Material Operations Level. Our recruits are also trained to the driver/operator level while attending the academy. Recruits also receive Basic Emergency Medicine (First Responder)to a National Standard. Recruits receive intensive instruction requiring study beyond the classroom. Recruit training is the beginning of continuous training essential to fulfill the demanding qualifications required of members of the Bayou Cane Fire Protection District. The key point in recruits training, is learning the responsibility of being a public servant.

The Bayou Cane Fire Department Training Division is also responsible for the continuing education of our firefighters and EMS certified personnel. To sustain certifications, firefighters must attend annual Hazardous Material Refreshers, and semi-annual refreshers to keep EMT certifications, annual Officer and Instructor classes. 

Many of our firefighters attend specialized courses in areas such as handling hazardous materials, high angle rope rescue, swift water rescue, and confined space and trench extrication. The Training Division works to support our members with the necessary education the firefighter needs to be knowledgeable and safe.

Citizens outreach programs are conducted through the Training Division such as: Basic CPR, Car Seat safety, Basic First Aid, etc. Our website has several links to these types of training. These are all new programs that we are currently setting up for the first time ever here at Bayou Cane.  In the future, we would like to begin teaching our citizens the CERT program from fema. The CERT (citizen emergency response team) program will allow trained citizens to assist their neighborhoods with basic functions in time of disaster before our personnel can arrive at their locations. Citizens receive instruction in the areas of light search and rescue, first aid, fire safety, terrorism, basic hazard control, and general preparedness.

It is the goal of the Training Division to tutor both members of the department and citizens to a level that provides for the well-being and safety for all people in our community. 

NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS)

A required program of the federal government, our members are being trained to the level of and required to have ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800. These 4 classes can be obtained online. Currently all of our Chief officers trained to the 300, and 400 levels. These 2 classes are done in the classroom setting. The NIMS classes are: ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700 and 800 levels.

OFFICER CONTINUING TRAINING

We are in the process of training all of our Officers to the NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications.

DRIVER CONTINUING TRAINING

To be qualified to drive our apparatus, all of our suppression members are trained to NFPA 1002 Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Professional Qualifications.

Currently, our personnel here at Bayou Cane are trained to these levels.

Driver Operator – (26)
Fire Officer I – (9)
Fire Officer II – (5)
Fire Instructor I - (28)
Fire Instructor II – (3)
Water Rescue Technicians – (5)
Hazardous Materials Awareness – (49)
Hazardous Materials Operations – (42)

We are very proud of the commitment exhibited by our members to the Bayou Cane community. We will continue to push forward to offer you, the customer, the best service we possibly can. That is our commitment to you.