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FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Thirteen firefighters and safety inspectors from across the Department of Defense are on Fort Leonard Wood June 10 to 14 to learn how to examine facility designs to ensure the plans meet fire codes before construction workers even break ground on new projects.
The course, called the Plans Review I and II Certification Course, drew students from as far away as Italy, Germany and Japan, according to Kevin Curtis, Fort Leonard Wood Fire Department assistant fire chief. During the five-day program, and instructors provide instruction on inspection specifics, such as the review of plans, communications with fire inspectors and emergency response personnel, identification of when additional expertise is required, being familiar with procedures used by the jurisdiction, interpretation of codes and implementation of policy.
“The purpose of this certification is to enhance the fire engineering in construction projects, improve employee performance reliability and strengthen the professionalism of all DOD fire and emergency services personnel,” Curtis said. “Fire prevention and life safety depend on thorough, accurate fire inspection of occupancies and review of architectural plans and shop drawings, including an understanding of current codes and regulations, so compliance can be evaluated.”
Curtis said it is important to have fire safety inspectors verify fire codes are met before each new project begins because regulations are continuously evolving.
“The outcome of the plan review process will impact the building's construction and built-in fire protection features for the life of the building,” Curtis added.
He said most often when fire-code violations are found in designs, the architects “are simply not familiar with fire-code requirements or elements of your local policies that impact their design.”
The course was taught at Fire Station No. 3, by Stephen Reid, a senior fire instructor for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, an affiliate of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
Reid said he has enjoyed teaching such a “diverse” group.
“They are from all over the world and work for different military branches. Their input adds to the class, and they learn a lot from each other,” Reid said. “I went through most of my career as a firefighter. We didn’t have courses like this. We did the work, learned as we went and did our best. I use my experience as a firefighter to add to the Plans Examiner curriculum, so they don’t have to go through what I went through. I have been doing this a long time and I want to share what I have learned.”
One of the students, Marie Gunia, a fire safety inspector for U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany, said she feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to take the course.
“This is an important part of our job. We work closely with engineers, and this will help me to better understand them and the project we are collaborating on. With this training, I will be able to come up with solutions and better ideas before construction starts, saving time and money,” Gunia said.
The course will ultimately help with the most important aspect of the job — prevention, Gunia said.
“As much as we train, we don’t want to have to use our training. We want to prevent fires from ever happening. Prevention is lifesaving,” Gunia said.
Students will leave the course with a Plans Review I and II certification from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress, more commonly known as IFSAC.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2024 14:13 |
| Story ID: | 474024 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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