Firefighter Training


recruitwithTH1Training is an ongoing process at Burlington Fire Department.  Each new employee receives a minimum of 240 hours of recruit training before joining an Engine Company. At the end of this indoctrination period, the firefighter has completed the requirements for the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission's Fire Fighter Certification.  Classes on Safety, Personal Protective Equipment, Hoses, Fire Streams, and Hazardous Materials are just a few of the subjects the new firefighters must master to reach this level.


Once assigned to a crew, the training does not stop.  At the end of six (6) months, the probationary firefighter is given a day-long test to determine the level of progress made since leaving the recruit school.  The firefighter must be able to locate and use all of the equipment properly on the apparatus to which he/she is assigned.   During the preparation for this examination, the firefighter's crew will spend many hours making sure he/she is ready.  Following this series of training and exams, he/she will continue to learn the layout of the City and will take a street test at the end of eighteen (18) months taken from a list of seventy-five streets spread throughout the city.


Even after this series of training and exams, the firefighter will continue with a career long regiment of training that is divided up into required sections, such as company level firefighter training, driver/operator training, officer training, hazardous materials training, training at a specialized facility such as the Burlington Fire Training Center, and other special topics as determined by training staff, company level, and chief officers.
Training