Firefighters finish training course
Ten Lawrence-Douglas County firefighter recruits had Band-Aids all over their wrists and arms, as they spent the last week taking turns giving one another IVs and drawing blood. It was among the final tests involved in a 12-week training course. Enlarge video
It might be considered the final test of endurance — being stuck in the veins repeatedly with a needle.
A group of 10 Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical firefighter recruits spent the week piercing one another’s veins, to practice hooking up IVs to patients. “I don’t like IVs; I was forced to like them,” said Kirk Landau, one of 10 recruits who participated in the medical needlework at the fire training facility, 1941 Haskell Ave. “If you poke other people, they get to poke you.”
They walked around a room with gauze taped to their arms, flicking one another’s wrists, tying on tourniquets and looking for more bulging veins to poke. Each was required to have 20 sticks.
The sometimes-nauseating activity came with the occasional harsh word and joke about passing out, but the men did what they had to do ahead of tonight’s recruit school graduation at Kansas University’s Dole Institute of Politics.
During an intense, 12-week Monday through Friday training course, firefighter recruits spent the first eight weeks learning how to fight fires and respond to hazardous material calls. The last four weeks were for honing their paramedic skills, which will allow them to perform some advanced care on patients.
“It’s been challenging; we’ve learned a lot,” said Tim Reazin, recruit. “I’m hoping to go full time as soon as possible.”
A majority of the firefighters will have to wait to join the force full time, under the unique “extra-board” employment structure created by former Lawrence Fire Chief Jim McSwain.
Only two of the best-performing recruits will become full-time firefighters immediately, because there are only two front-line vacancies on the 120-member force. The others will serve as part-time fill-in workers until there are more openings.
The recruits are ranked and selected to fill positions based on who has the best test scores and performance evaluations from training.
“It actually saves the city a little bit of money (in overtime costs) and allows us to have a pool of people to hire on, when positions open up,” said Pat Talkington, training captain.
The recruits are part of the fire department’s 19th recruit academy and were selected from a pool of 92 applicants — 76 who were qualified and 18 of whom became finalists.
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frankiej65 (anonymous) says…
Congratulations Guys! And Thank You!
jackie (anonymous) says…
What kind of system is that? You go through an intensive 12 week training course and then you dont have job until a vacancy opens. These folks probably had to quit their regular jobs to complete the training and now 10 of them will have to find other employment until an opening comes about. Also, I'll bet the city expects them to drop everything when they are called in to fill a shift vacancy.
domino (anonymous) says…
If there were 92 applicants who applied to take the class, and 76 of those were qualified to take the class, I would think that the 10 that are completing the class must be pretty happy to not be among the other 66, let alone being thrilled to be 1 of the 2 that will have jobs right out of the chute! Like many other professions in life, you have to have the proper training before you can begin said job. I also believe that all of these recruits knew exactally what they were doing when they applied to take the class. So to me, it is apparently a system that many people are trying to get into. I for one am grateful that they are willing to do what they do!
jackie (anonymous) says…
They are already qualified for "said job". My point is the city should plan with an emphasis placed on only putting the number of firefighters they are willing to hire through training. Under the current system these other 10 will be called only when the city needs them to fill in for a full time firefighter who is not available for their scheduled shift to save from having to pay another full time firefighter overtime rates or during a major emergency. And when they do call them to cover a shift, I am willing to bet that they are required to drop everything (including the duties of the job they have to pay rent while they are waiting to become a full time firefighter) and show up at whatever station they are assigned to that day or suffer the consequences. I'm thrilled that these people are willing to make this sacrifice to become a member of LFD, Im just thinking their is at least room fro discussion on how we are treating the recruits.
domino (anonymous) says…
jackie - I respectfully disagree with your comment of them already qualified for the job. If nothing else, the sentence "Each was required to have 20 sticks." tells me that they were not qualified to do the job - they may have been qualified to take the training, but if they were qualified for the job, there would not be the need for the class.
If the city would only train the number of full-time recruits they need, there would have only been 2 in this class. How much screaming & carrying on would have been done by taxpayers if the LFD tied up several training officers over the course of 12 weeks for only 2 recruits? The comment from Cpt. Talkington about saving the city $ and allowing them to have recruits available to hire when there are openings seems like the LFD is thinking about saving $ and trying to have all their bases covered. Also, if they accepted 18 into the class and only 10 -12 are completing the class, that is a fairly high rate of non-completion, for whatever reason. If the city only did the class for the 2 open positions, what would happen if the 2 recruits they chose to take the class did not complete the course?
I do not know specifically what these other 10 recruits will be asked/required to do before they become full-time, but as I stated in my original post, they know and understand what that will be. I think that if the recruits didn't think they were being treated fairly, there wouldn't be as many trying to get in as there are. I would liken it to being a fill-in postal worker - they often have other jobs they work around until they can get on full time with the postal service. It is up to the individual to decide if it is worth doing what they will have to do to eventually get the full-time position. No one is forcing them to do this, but they choose to do it.
Again, my thanks & congratulations to those recruits who will be graduating tonight!!
cheeseburger (anonymous) says…
Dustin Deathe is a stud! Good luck - hope you get one of the current vacancies!
mdrndgtl (anonymous) says…
I don't care much for Dusty Deathe...