More than 200 firefighters from across Oregon take part in Winter Fire School training in Salem

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- More than 200 career and volunteer firefighters from nearly 100 fire agencies throughout Oregon attended the 19th annual Winter Fire School at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem last weekend. 

The two-day event was hosted by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) and included nine classes offered by the National Fire Academy, DPSST, and the City of Dallas Fire & EMS Department. Attendees included firefighters from city and tribal fire departments, fire districts, and wildland firefighters.

Classroom training sessions covered a wide range of topics including leadership, incident command, health and safety programs, tactical decision making, fire prevention education, and community risk reduction.

The event also included hands-on training sessions on vehicle extrication, flammable gas and liquid emergencies, extinguishing vehicle fires, forceable entry, firefighter safety and survival, pumper operator simulations, and heavy vehicle operation.

Winter Fire School is offered free of charge and is held over the weekend to accommodate the schedules of volunteers who comprise most of the Oregon fire service.

“DPSST is proud to put on the annual Winter Fire School, which is the Fire Program’s biggest event of the year,” said Kayla Ballrot, DPSST’s interim Fire Program Manager. “Oregon’s firefighters will apply the knowledge gained from this weekend’s event, from hands-on classes to leadership training, to make their communities safer places to live. We received great student and instructor feedback and are already looking forward to next year.”

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About DPSST
The mission of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is to pursue excellence in training and accountability for public safety professionals. DPSST certifies and licenses police, corrections, and parole and probation officers, as well as regulatory specialists, emergency telecommunicators and medical dispatchers, criminal justice instructors, private security providers, private investigators, fire service professionals and polygraph examiners in the State of Oregon.  DPSST works with public and private safety agencies around the state to provide basic, leadership and specialized training at the 237-acre Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem and regionally throughout the state.