Sunderland-based specialist fire training and compliance company ProFire have recently travelled to Northern Ireland to successfully carry out breathing apparatus instructor (BAI) training.
Delivering the face-to-face training to 14 delegates from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) whilst also adhering to Covid regulations, the experienced ProFire team were able to ensure all the attendees received an informative, experienced and enjoyable training experience.
The course, which is accredited by nationally recognised body Skills for Justice Awards, is perfect for delegates within the fire service industry who are already breathing apparatus wearers but who aim to become instructors.
ProFire were asked by NIFRS to deliver the practical elements of the course at their state-of-the-art Learning and Development Centre in Cookstown. The Tactical Firefighting Facility opened in September 2019 and is home to a unique six-storey structure with more than 30 compartments, providing realistic operational scenarios using real fires, as well as welfare and classroom facilities. It is the first facility of its kind in Northern Ireland.
The training was a huge success with all delegates scoring the course 10/10 when asked if they would recommend to a colleague. The individual delegate feedback was also fantastic including:
‘Top class instruction, from experienced and knowledgeable instructors, also very open and approachable.’
‘Excellent tuition, instruction and advice given throughout the course.’
‘Very enjoyable course, thanks to all the ProFire instructors for a great experience.’
Like many businesses during the last 18 months, ProFire, who are proud to have a company policy of employing trainers from firefighter backgrounds, have quickly learned to adapt to the challenging conditions which have particularly affected the training sector.
The company adapted their business to offer online training for their popular fire warden course and have continued to help keep businesses, schools and care homes safe and compliant during the pandemic.
Director, Will Fatherley, commented: ‘Fire services throughout the UK and Ireland still have a requirement to maintain their training during the pandemic, therefore we were delighted to be able to assist and send our experienced team of instructors to Belfast.
‘To carry out the training at NIFRS’s new Learning and Development centre enabled our delegates to receive the best experience in a controlled and safe environment. Many of our courses are held right here in the North East. However, fire services really value our onsite training model which minimises the travel and time away from home for their staff, as well as being significantly cheaper on a per delegate basis than traditional courses.
‘The quality of instructors is immense and we can see from the feedback that it translates into a valuable and enjoyable course for the delegates and their fire service.’
For more information on the range of firefighter and workplace training courses, please visit: www.pro-firesafety.co.uk
