A dozen Lake County Fire Rescue personnel attended the National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Florida State Weekend Training recently, bringing the division’s attendance rate up to far above the national average.
The classes, held annually in Emmitsburg, Maryland, offer professional firefighters an opportunity to further their experience and education with instruction from experts, as well as networking with fellow students. There, Lake County Fire Rescue members studied fire investigation, as well as strategy and tactics for the initial arriving company officer.
Thus far, more than 40 Lake County Fire Rescue personnel have attended NFA training.
“While the national average for fire departments is less than 2 percent attendance, Lake County Fire Rescue is now proud to have 19 percent of its staff having attended – an unbelievable accomplishment,” said Fire Chief Jim Dickerson. “As fire chief, I am overwhelmed that Lake County continues to surpass national averages. My goal is to have all members attend at least once in his or her career.”
Attendance to the academy is free of charge for students and provides a lifetime of networking with fire service professionals throughout the world. For this reason, Public Safety Director John Jolliff, who is set to retire later this month, has long supported the training for his department.
The career firefighters of Lake County Fire Rescue protect county residents and visitors in an area covering approximately 1,200 square miles, with nearly 70,000 residences and up to 2,000 commercial properties.
