FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 3, 2020
DAVIE FIRE RESCUE WELCOMES NEW FIRE RECRUITS WITH SOCIAL DISTANCED RECOGNITION
DAVIE, Fla. – Every graduating class of the Davie Fire Department has received a special ceremony to welcome them to the Town of Davie’s Fire Rescue team, but the most recent class was welcomed a little differently.
In light of the social distancing norm in place nationwide, on Friday, April 3, 2020, Davie Fire Rescue Department had all their class 2020-01 recruits line up in front of Fire Station 38 along Orange Drive while practicing social distancing (standing six feet apart). Passing vehicles cheered and acknowledged the recruits with a car honk and wave from the safety of their vehicles.
In addition to their unique ceremony, these recruits also received their in-house training much differently than others. All of the instructors lectured with a surgical mask, everyone was kept six feet away as often as possible, and surgical masks were worn during all classroom lectures. Each morning also began with a wellness screening for symptoms and temperature checks. The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was emphasized throughout the training in order to keep personnel safe.
The new Davie Fire Rescue recruits are all State of Florida Certified Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technician’s(EMTs) and are paramedics or finishing school. In addition, to their state certifications, Davie Fire Rescue provides 16 weeks of in-house training.
This group received an abbreviated in-house training (reduced by four weeks) in order to provide additional staffing to units as Davie Fire Rescue prepares for specialty response to COVID-19.
“When we are faced with special circumstances, we have to adjust our operations to facilitate the growing demands on our public safety personnel,” said Fire Chief Julie Downey. “While training was expedited, the men and women of this class are committed to providing efficient and exemplary quality service with the compassion and professionalism that all who interact with us have come to expect.”
All probationary firefighters complete a task book during their first year of training. as well as. a probationary test. Firefighters train on a variety of topics from firefighting tactics, vehicle extrication, EMS, health and safety, pre-incident planning, hazmat response, etc.
Although they did not get the opportunity to train on a few important topics such as Marine firefighting, active shooter response training, and water rescue operations for dive rescue calls, these recruits will get this training throughout the year while they are on-duty.
Properly staffing units in accordance with national standards is always a priority for Davie Fire Rescue. The demands on staffing levels will continue to increase over the upcoming weeks as we continue to see flu-like calls. These personnel will assist with the response, treatment, and decontamination procedures of the units.
“We provide a clear message to our firefighters, we are proud you completed the recruit class, but you will now be training every shift for the rest of your career,” said Lead Instructor Battalion Chief Vincent Martinez, “You can never have too much training, not when lives are at stake.”
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Media Contact:
Leona Henry, Intergovernmental Affairs Manager
Office: 954-797-1035
Sussette Rodriguez, Public Relations Coordinator
Office: 954-797-1102
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