The Columbus Indiana Fire Department has been awarded a training grant that will provide a no-cost training opportunity for local, state, and regional firefighters. The grant also includes funding for additional training for the members of the Columbus Fire Department.  In 2020, the Columbus Fire Department was awarded a grant of $ 71,000 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The grant funds are being used to provide a command and tactics training workshop for up to 250 firefighters and a three-day train-the-trainer workshop for 15 members of the Columbus Fire Department.  The two-day workshop, Mastering Fireground Command- Calm the Chaos!, will be presented by Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros of the Sacramento Metro Fire District (ret.) through Fire Inspiration Readiness & Education LLC.

Columbus Fire Department Chief, Chief Andy Lay, said that receiving this training program has been a goal of the Columbus Fire Department. “We are extremely pleased that we have been awarded the AFG grant and have the ability to share this opportunity with firefighters from other agencies. For our agency, we are looking forward to identifying how we can make improvements and implement best practices for our operations.”

The two-day workshop will be held June 7-8 at the Commons Nugent-Custer Performance Hall and is open to any volunteer or career firefighter. The training will cover some of the most critical issues that that fire service professionals are faced with including; incident command, modern fire behavior, tactics, safety, accountability, building construction, and preplanning. Attendance is limited to 250 firefighters and COVID-19 precautions will be observed. For the remainder of the week, 15 Columbus Fire Department company officers will participate in a hands-on train-the-trainer workshop at the Evolution Columbus Public Safety Training Center. During the train-the-trainer course, Columbus fire officers will continue to build upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) strategies and tactics training to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness while also focusing on an increased awareness of fireground safety.

Firefighters that wish to receive more information on the upcoming workshop can contact the Columbus Indiana Fire Department at (812) 376-2679.