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KCC Fire Training Academy: Not for the faint of heart

Members of the Klamath Community College Firefighting I Training Academy learn to handle fire hoses not only for the skills needed, but for the safety of all.
KCC staff
Nov 13, 2024
  • Academic
  • Community

Cadets test their skills, endurance

The latest beginner firefighter training class kicked off this fall on the Klamath Community College campus with a group of 17 students aiming to get their certificates for Firefighter I. They face a gauntlet of physical and mental tasks during the 11-week course.
“This is the first step for a person to becoming a Firefighter EMT and/or a Firefighter Paramedic,” said Gary Denney, program lead for structure fire training.
KCC is home to the Klamath Regional Training Center, which includes the Emergency Response and Operations Program for students. ERO includes three disciplines: Structure Fire; Wildland Fire and EMT training. Students usually range in age from high school graduate up to their 40s.

Caleb Herrera/KCC photo Firefighter trainees have several benchmarks they train against, both physical and mental during the 11-week course, experiencing real-world obstacles they have to overcome to complete the course.
“The structure fire program is to prepare students in the real world expectations of being a career firefighter EMT and/or paramedic,” Denney said. The program is accredited by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Firefighter I consists of 8 credits: six credits in the lab and 192 hours of hand-on training, plus two hours online for lectures.
The program is about seven years old, and in its fifth year on campus.
“After one year of training at KCC, you should be able to take a test for Firefighter EMT certification,” Denney said.

The Firefighting Academy includes physical agility testing as well as mental health counseling to ensure trainees understand how to cope with the rigors of the job.