THE City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service officially welcomed 22 new recruits to the ranks at their graduation ceremony on December 3.
The City of Cape Town announced that the learner firefighters had successfully completed their prescribed introductory training.
Their training programmes included local protocol induction followed by respiratory protection and the advanced first responder medical qualification.
The graduates also completed International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) accredited courses aligned to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The IFSAC is the international benchmark for professional firefighters.
“What is unique about this graduation is that these internationally recognised professional qualifications are now being issued directly by the City’s Fire and Rescue Training Academy. The academy is the first local government Fire Service Training institute to receive IFSAC recognised accreditation within the country. It really is a remarkable achievement,” said the City’s Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith.
“These officers can now facilitate training for our more than 1 000 staff members in the Fire and Rescue Service, which means that more staff can benefit from skills development and continuation training programmes, but more importantly, internationally recognised qualifications. By doing this, we are investing in their career development and increasing the standard of service delivery to our communities,” Smith added.
IOL