Frequently Asked Questions
How are Raven Rescue courses NFPA compliant?
Q. What is the NFPA?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an American organization that develops codes and standards for all areas of fire-rescue. While not mandated by law, many agencies choose to follow the NFPA’s standards for training and operations in order to ensure consistency, rigour, and effectiveness, and also to limit liability. For 10 years, the NFPA 1670 and 1006 Standards have established minimum guidelines for technical search and rescue incidents. The standards cover a wide variety of disciplines, including rope rescue, water rescue, vehicle and machinery rescue, confined space rescue, structural collapse rescue, and trench rescue. The NFPA 1670 Standard establishes general guidelines to assist departments in assessing hazards, identifying levels of operational capabilities, and establishing response guidelines and training documentation. The NFPA 1006 Standard defines the professional qualifications an individual must have in order to be considered a “rescue technician”, including a formal assessment by an independent third party.
Q. What about Canadian standards?
To date, no Canadian agency has taken the lead in developing similar standards and it is unlikely that such a massive project will be undertaken in the near future, given that existing NFPA Standards are rigorous and complete. In the absence of national standards, it is likely that the NFPA will remain the de-facto standard in Canada and the rest of the world.
Q. Why is NFPA compliance important?
By training to a consistent, complete and high standard, first responders can be sure their training provides them with what they need in order to do their jobs effectively, efficiently and most of all, safely. In addition, a consistent standard for training ensures that first responders are able to work together in a streamlined manner on inter-agency callouts and major national or international disasters.
Q. What is the relationship between Raven Rescue and the NFPA?
Raven Rescue is a member of the NFPA and also the Official Agent for Rescue 3 International in Western Canada, and as such, we teach only Rescue 3 water, rope, boat and ice rescue courses that are compliant with NFPA standards.
Q. How are Raven Rescue/Rescue 3 courses NFPA-compliant?
More than 10 years ago, Rescue 3 did a major re-organization of its courses in order to bring its curriculum into line with NFPA 1670 and 1006 Standards. Courses are now organized according to Awareness, Operations and Technician levels, the curriculum is based on the content of the 1670 Standard, and knowledge and skills are taught in the manner prescribed by the NFPA. At the time, Rescue 3 predicted that more-and-more emphasis would be placed on “standardized” training, and only a few years later, 9/11 was the catalyst that saw a huge increase in the number of emergency response agencies adopting NFPA Standards. In Canada, it took longer for departments to adopt NFPA Standards, but the growth has been steady for the past 10 years, to the point where it has become the norm rather than the exception.
Rescue 3’s NFPA compliance is demonstrated on the training record issued to each participant at the end of a course. The training records is keyed to NFPA 1670 and 1006 Standards, and becomes a valuable document for a personnel file because it demonstrates due diligence in training and record keeping. The training record itemizes all the skills and knowledge taught in the course and links each activity to the relevant NFPA 1670 or 1006 Standard. The instructor initials beside each activity performed or observed by the participant resulting in an individualized snapshot of abilities and training.
Over the past decade, Rescue 3’s curriculum has been independently audited and found to meet the NFPA 1670 Standard, and is endorsed by major fire and rescue educational institutions across North America. In addition, Rescue 3’s Professional Qualification Workshop has been independently audited and found to meet the 1006 Standard. This expert, third-party endorsement of our curriculum is what sets Rescue 3 apart from other providers.
Q. How can other course providers say they are “compliant” too?
Anyone can claim to be compliant, and without rigorous research, it is difficult to disprove this. However, only Rescue 3 courses have been independently audited by industry leaders and found to meet the NFPA 1670 and 1006 Standards.
Q. Is being “compliant” good enough?
Not really, because you can be “compliant” without being “complete”. Under the NFPA 1670 Standard requirements for water, a water technician must be both a water and rope rescue technician. The criteria is so extensive that it requires in excess of 80 hours of training to achieve—which is why Rescue 3 broke it down into three component parts. In order to train to the complete NFPA 1670 standard for technical water rescue incidents, you must take three Rescue 3 courses:
- Swiftwater Rescue Technician – Level One (3 days)
- Swiftwater Rescue Technician – Advanced and, (3 1/2 days)
- Technical Rope Rescue (technician level) (5 days) (or equivalent)
Upon completion you are awarded Rescue 3’s highest certification (before Instructor) which is Water and Rope Technician. The only higher-level training offered through Rescue 3 is a Professional Qualification Workshop which certifies that you have been trained to the NFPA 1006 Standard and your skills have been assessed by an independent third party (ie: your evaluator cannot have been your instructor).
Q: What is Pro Board or IFSAC certification?
These are agencies that certify individuals to the 1006 Standard. While the NFPA sets the standard, it does not verify that training courses meet these standards. Verification that training meets NFPA Standards is performed by two third party agencies - the ProBoard or IFSAC (ProBoard Fire Service Professional Qualifications System & International Fire Service Accreditation Congress). Raven Rescue delivers Pro Board certifications for swiftwater and technical rope through our partner, the North Vancouver Fire Department, an accredited Pro Board agency. This is added proof that our courses meet NFPA Standards. Most agencies in Canada are content with training that meets NFPA 1670 Standards, but some departments value certification by the ProBoard because it indicates that EACH individual has performed to the prescribed level, and therefore indicates a particularly well-trained and highly-skilled department.
