The Cobb Island Volunteer Fire and EMS Department had a new member take and successfully complete the MFRI (Maryland Fire Rescue Institute) Firefighter I class. This is the basic course that all interested members must take if they would like to run fire calls with our department. This course was an accelerated course that consists of 102 hours of lecture and practical evolutions. The objective of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to safely and effectively perform basic firefighting operations as part of a firefighting team.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand and apply the principles of fire behavior; building construction; water distribution systems; fixed fire protection systems; ventilation; hose streams; fire prevention; and inspections, ladders, and rescue techniques. (National Fire Protection Association Standard 1001 for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications).

Major topics covered in the course were the fire department organization, communications, incident command system, ropes and knots, fire behavior, safety, fire prevention, personal protective equipment, fire extinguishers, respiratory protection, ventilation, hose lines, forcible entry, search and rescue procedures, and ladder and sprinkler systems. Methods of instruction include lecture, discussion classroom exercises, audio/visual material, graded practical exercises, midterm and final examinations, series of practical examinations, and skills check off and homework assignments, which are all, evaluated by the instructor for satisfactory completion.

Congratulations To:

James Bowling