Louisiana

[SWLAFireDawg]

Good luck in Northeast Louisiana... It's really not a bad place to live. But the region is having its share of economic troubles -- especially large businesses and industries in Monroe.

I know nothing about West Monroe's firefighter pay, but good luck if you're thinking about working in Ruston. Up until 2005, I think, starting pay for a firefighter was in the neighborhood of $13k. Captains made something like $!6.5k and assistant chiefs just barely broke $21k. They won a lawsuit that was supposed to add several thousand dollars to the salaries depending on rank and experience... But it still sounds pretty bleak.

Was that including the state supplemental pay? I believe it is around $300 a month last time I checked.......10 years ago.

[cozmosis]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I am probably going to be moving to either Ruston or West Monroe coming up next month.

Good luck in Northeast Louisiana... It's really not a bad place to live. But the region is having its share of economic troubles -- especially large businesses and industries in Monroe.

I know nothing about West Monroe's firefighter pay, but good luck if you're thinking about working in Ruston. Up until 2005, I think, starting pay for a firefighter was in the neighborhood of $13k. Captains made something like $!6.5k and assistant chiefs just barely broke $21k. They won a lawsuit that was supposed to add several thousand dollars to the salaries depending on rank and experience... But it still sounds pretty bleak.

[hotz28guy]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I am probably going to be moving to either Ruston or West Monroe coming up next month.

[cellblock]

I don't know any career firefighters in my area on either call-career or combo departments that do not have at least FF1 however.
.

That's because you don't live over here in Saint Gabriel.

[LaFireEducator]

That must be a local thing SW.

Two years ago at the state firefighters association convention, there was discussion to pursue a mini-Firefighter1 program (as compared to FF1) as the state minimum standard. It was pursued and was not acted on by the legislature, leaving the state without a standard. At this year's convention, it was decided not to pursue it again this legislative session. So at this time there is, to the best of my knowledge no state training minimuim requirement.

However, there is a legislative standard that says that career firefighters must have FF1 to receive state supplemental pay. As I understnad it, if they do not have FF1, they do not recieve the state supplemental, but it is not a requirement to have that cert. I don't know any career firefighters in my area on either call-career or combo departments that do not have at least FF1 however.

Locally they may have adopted the NFPA standadrd as your operating standard, but it is not a state requirement.

[SWLAFireDawg]

I do not know if it is our parish, or stateide, but we now have to get training on NFPA 1403 in order to participate in live training burns. Also, I'll have to check if it is only our dept, but we cannot go into a burning building without a FF1 certified individual unless we are actually FF1 certified ourselves. And if we do go in, it is only as hose support.

Again, it may just be our arish or dept, and I am still trying to figure all this out since we don't have a set of written SOG's (yeah, I know).......

[LaFireEducator]

In Louisiana, there is no training requirement for volunteer or career fire department members. What is required is completly up to each department. If you are a career firefighter however, you must have Firefighter1 if you are to recieve state supplemental pay of about $3,600 a year from the state, which is what I believe cozmois is referring to. The general standard for most of the combo departments career members is Firefighter1.

All certifications are done by LSU-FETI. If you are out of state and have certs you must challenge the test through them. They do have regional instructors and often have local tests. If you go through an academy run by one of the larger cities, you will be tested and certified through the state.

That being said, my department does a lot of our training in Texas. It is cheaper than LSU-FETI and in many cases better.

[SWLAFireDawg]

LSU is pretty much the only option I am aware of unless you get in with a volunteer dept or city academy. However, a lot of cities jst send their people to LSU from what I understand.

Check with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in your parish and find out if they have an Emergency Training Center, or just ask if there is a FF class in the area. LSU instructors and certifiers come to ours every other month for certifications, and we do limited classes on a monthly basis.

You can try this

http://www.trainingdivision.com/?OVR...OVMTC=standard

but LSU does not recognize the training, and you have to cerify with LSU in LA.

[cozmosis]

FF I is my guess.

It is my understanding that career firefighters in Louisiana must complete and pass "a certified fireman's training program equal to National Fire Protection Association Standard 1001 Firefighter I Certification or a firemen's training program as approved by the Louisiana State University Firemen Training Program." Source: Louisiana Revised Statute 33:2002

[randsc]

Oh boy

Here it comes.

[hotz28guy]

Does anyone know what you have to do to be certified in the state of Louisiana? The only info I can find is about the stinkin LSU school. And it does not list the requirements on its site.