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Subject: Mounted search and rescue
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- From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
- To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [MSAR] local vs gov control
- Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:59:51 -0400
Realizing that some counties in CA or In other areas the government is more
decentralized and covers smaller land areas. Certification means the certified person knew
enough to pass the test when the test was given, nothing more. It does
not assure quality instruction or even quality material. Generally, the
state certifies instructors as it certifies vocational teachers. There is
a defined educational background, experience in the field, successful completion
as a student of the course to be taught, and a course in instructional
methods. Depending on the subject the state may defer to a national
organization for the curriculum. In the fire service there are two major
producers of materials, IFSTA, and Delmott(?), that meet the requirements for
certification to NFPA standards by one or both national certification
registries. In Wilderness SAR there is the NASAR curriculum, courses
offered by ERI, the CAP, the USCG. and various agencies. In our state the
state fire academy’s curriculum committee approves the use of published courses,
the regional fire academies do the paperwork and hold classes. The oversight
is provided by the community college(s) who can authorize payment to the
academies for courses taught. We are moving from a state curriculum to
the national registry for If you make certification mandatory, and
effectively the existence of certification does so, you will lose access to volunteers
who have experience, knowledge and skill. In many cases the difference in those
critical factors between a certified person and a person who did it the old way
is how long it took to get trained. In the fire service the certification
program replaced 4- 32 hour courses, 32 hours of hazmat, 8 hours of first aid
CPR, 3 or 4 32 hour rescue courses and perhaps several other blocks with a 188
hour course taken at one time instead of over several training seasons.
Does it make a better firefighter/recue tech? Maybe. It definitely makes
one faster. What you have to decide is whether having
a 3rd party certify that you know what you are doing is valuable to
your group and its responses. If it is, and this especially applies to
dog teams, do so. If having a piece of paper on your wall or in your
resume is important, do so. If you are not required to be certified by
law or agency directive do not waste your resources on a meaningless (at least
in your environment) piece of paper, spend it on training. But with
anything you buy, make sure you get your money’s worth. Irv Lichtenstein From:
msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of pennbo@verizon.net |
-
[MSAR] Was: Search for Lauren Spierer Now: local vs gov control,
pennbo, 06/19/2011
- Re: [MSAR] Was: Search for Lauren Spierer Now: local vs gov control, Dick L Sweet, 06/19/2011
- Re: [MSAR] local vs gov control, IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN, 06/19/2011
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