Howland Training Center offers fire training courses that provide the technical knowledge, practical skills, and controlled field experience to prepare for entry into the fire service.

           Firefighter I                  Firefighter II                  Firefighter I & II – Fire Academy

Fire training subjects that will be covered throughout the basic fire courses include: Hazmat Awareness & Operations, Emergency Vehicle Operator, Life Safety Initiatives, Fire Department Organization & Safety, Fire Behavior, Fire Cause & Origin, Rescue, Water Supplies, Forcible Entry, Ventilation & Tools, Ropes, Salvage, Incident Command System (ICS), Practical Evolutions, Live Fire Training and various other topics that are relevant to the field.

Prerequisite: 

• Students may enter the program if they are at least 17 years old and in their final year of high school. You must be 18 years of age to be certified as a firefighter.

• All students are required to take an entry level placement test prior to being accepted into the program. This test will cover reading, mathematical computation, language, and spelling.

Students must provide the following information the first night of class / orientation:

• A copy of a their Ohio driver’s license
• Firefighter I card if applicable (FFII)
• Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) check - paid for by the candidate.
• Hazmat Awareness & Operations, EVOC & Life Safety Initiatives if applicable (FFII)
• A copy of a physical examination within the past 12 months stating that you are fit to participate in a firefighter class.  Department physicals will be accepted if done with the past year. See below for more information about the physical course requirements.
• A copy of their NIMS 100 and 700 certifications (FFII)
• CPR and First Aid Certification. Contact HTC for more information on available classes
• Documentation of cognitive proficiency:

Separate fire classes are held two days a week over the course of three to four months.

The Fire Academy is 8 weeks in the summer months. Monday thru Friday, 7:45 – 4:30.

Book: Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills, 3^rd Ed. paired with Navigate online platform

Gear supplied from a sponsoring department must be NFPA compliant.

NIMS: (National Incident Management System) Effective September 30, 2006, all EMS personnel must have NIMS courses IS-100.b and IS-700.a as mandated by the Department of Homeland Security pursuant to Homeland Security Directives HSPD-5 and HSPD-8. Students are responsible for obtaining both courses on-line at www.training.fema.gov. There is no cost to take the courses. A Certificate of Completion will be emailed to you when you successfully complete each course. You must submit copies of your Certificates of Completions for both courses by the required dates shown on your class syllabus. If you like, you may take these on-line courses prior to the start of class. If you have questions on how to take these courses, more information will be provided by your instructor when the class starts.

Upon successful completion of the course and practical skills test, students will be permitted to take the computer based state test. Students must score a 70% within 3 attempts.

Refund Policy: 100% - Withdrawal one (1) week prior to the start of class

                           50% - Approved withdrawal through the second week of class

                            0% - Withdrawal after the second week of class

                           No refund on books once they are used.

ProBoard: Following the issuance of an Ohio Firefighter II certificate to practice, the firefighter will be emailed a notice of eligibility and a link to apply for Pro Board certification. To be eligible, a score of 70% or higher must be obtained on both the level I and level II portions of the exam.

Registration Deadline: Payment in full is due before the start date of the course. This also insures your place in the class. 

Make checks or money orders payable in full to the Howland Training Center. Purchase orders will only be accepted from Fire Departments.

Physical Requirements

All students enrolling in a Fire Training Program are required to provide the Training Center with a Completed NFPA compliant physical examination by Doctor prior to attending class – Forms available in accordance with NFPA 1582. To assist the student in obtaining this, the following information will help you and your physician determine your ability to perform the duties of a firefighter for the training program.

A good way to prepare yourself for this demanding training is to maintain or improve your overall physical fitness. A suitable weight-training program is a good place to begin. People of smaller stature should consider a specific program to develop upper body strength.

Physical Performance Requirements

You must be determined “Fit for Duty” by your physician and be able to physically perform in these eight job-specific areas. This may be done wearing mandatory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the training program

• Bunker coats (8 pounds dry or approximately 15 pounds wet)Bunker pants and boots (15 pounds dry or approximately 23 pounds wet)
• Helmet (4 pounds)
• Gloves (2 pounds dry)
• And our current Self Contained breathing apparatus (30.5 pounds). 

The combined total weight of just the PPE is approximately 59 pounds (dry and as much as 74 pounds when they are wet).  Added to that would be a wide variety of hand held equipment such as an axe or saw which you may be required to carry or use.

• Stair Climb – in full protective clothing
• Hose Drag – maneuvering around obstacles
• Equipment Carry – moving power tools to and from an emergency scene
• Ladder Raise, Extension and Climb – ladder from ground to roof or window
• Forcible Entry – breaking through a locked door or knocking down a wall
• Search – Crawling and searching for a victim in limited visibility
• Rescue – removing a person from a scene
• Ceiling Breach and Pull – bringing down a ceiling with a pike pole 

Please have your doctor complete the available NFPA compliant physical form.

         - Students enrolled in a Firefighter Course shall meet the objectives in the NFPA 1001. Medical requirements of NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. NFPA 1582 Chapter 6, section 6.1 Medical Evaluation states, “A medical evaluation of a candidate shall be conducted prior to the candidate being placed in training programs or fire department emergency response activities.”