Online training available to all at fire department

The Vermilion Fire Department, after canceling its previous training sessions, has taken to providing the exercises online for all personnel.

Fire Chief Chris Stempowski said during a May 11 City Council Health and Safety Committee that onsite training was canceled when the novel coronavirus precautions began to ramp up.

There are two training officers who are overlooking the online training, with a handful of firefighters already taking advantage of the opportunity, Stempowski said.

“This online training allows them to keep up with their certifications,” he said.

While there are things to tweak about the system, the online training has proven to be an asset for future use at the fire department, Stempowski said.

“It’s a work in progress, but I think it’s going to be beneficial for the department, not just now, but in the long run,”he said.

The fire department is starting to slowly implement training at the fire station, he said.

Very small groups of personnel are allowed into the onsite training, which follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stempowski said.

“We’re slowly getting back into it, but very minimally,” he said.

Equipment and apparatus checks still are needed at the station, which requires another small group of individuals to complete those regularly, Stempowski said.

“That’s happening at least once a week, sometimes more, but obviously, we’re limiting the personnel with that, too,” he said.