Caroline Reed: OSU FST Director

Here at Fire Service Training, we have been blessed to receive several new grants that assist us in training the state.

The first award was an AFG grant to build a new burn building. This building will provide many opportunities for successful training of our Oklahoma firefighters.

We are currently working on building an extractor trailer that will assist fire departments that need their gear washed at their location. We have several proposals out currently to help offset the lack of training dollars that we receive from the state.

Currently we are only receiving $1.1 million to train the state. This is the same funding we received in 2000. We are hopeful that we will receive more support from both the state and federal agencies with our pursuit of grant dollars and new funding mechanisms.

In another area, we are taking some time to update our programs and we are currently seeking several new levels for IFSAC and Pro-Board.

We are very excited to share that we are close to completing the following levels: Rope Rescue, Extrication, Officer III, Industrial Fire Brigade Leader and updating Haz Mat Awareness, Haz Mat Ops, and Haz Mat Technician.

We are looking for volunteer fire departments to host the delivery of Firefighter II courses to finish the current SAFER grant.

The course will need to be completed by the end of November 2023. If you would like to host one, please contact Justin Spence at OSU Fire Service Training and schedule before the grant runs out.

Stay safe and be sure to look at our web site OSUFST.ORG for the latest course list.