Page 3621 - Week 11 - Thursday, 16 November 2006
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Training will be delivered by a variety of methods matched to the characteristics of the subject matter and the needs of the candidates. Generally, the focus will be on practical skills-based training with a minimum of classroom training. The greatest opportunity possible will be given to participants being able to use their normal brigade activities for learning and assessment.
Assessments will be conducted using the assessment tools developed by JESTA. Candidates enter into an assessment agreement with their assessor when they feel they are ready to be assessed. This provides candidates with the opportunity to seek clarification of any issues that they are unsure about and to identify any special needs they might have.
As part of the development process, assessment tools are validated to ensure they are valid, reliable, flexible and fair. They must assess what they claim to assess, give consistent results, allow for mutual convenience and not disadvantage any person. Only those competent in a number of specific units may act as assessors. Where these assessors do not have the competency in a subject that they are assessing, they may call on someone with the necessary competence to assist with the assessment process.
There are six broad categories of firefighters in the ACT Rural Fire Service. They are: bushfire fighter, advanced bushfire fighter, senior firefighter, officer, advanced officer and specialist. The skills, knowledge and attitudes of firefighters can be gained through formal training and assessment, experience with the ACT Rural Fire Service and prior learning in another environment. How members gain this knowledge and skills is not important provided that the members have been assessed as meeting the required standards of the ACTRFS. If members wish to seek recognition of prior learning, they must speak with their brigade training officer, who will liaise with the RFS training officer to begin the recognition process.
In the last 24 months, the ACT Rural Fire Service has trained three remote area firefighting teams, or RAFT. These teams have provided the ACT with a new capability that is a highly effective resource. Without the national standards of training that was implemented for these teams, they would not be able to do their job effectively or maintain their skills at such a high standard.
Implementing nationally recognised units of competence has provided RFS firefighters with formal qualifications, such as Certificate II in Public Safety. In addition, RFS firefighters are given the opportunity to undertake training as occupational health and safety representatives, first aid officers or workplace trainers and assessors, all of which are transferable into their own workplace.
The volunteers of the ACT State Emergency Service have embraced the competency-based training assessment offered through the public safety training package. For the first time in the history of the SES, volunteers can have their knowledge and skills formally recognised through the awarding of nationally accredited statements of attainment and certificate level qualifications.
A total of 86 certificate II level qualifications have been awarded over the last two years to volunteers in both SES rescue and SES operations. It is without doubt that the
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