The Round Table
As one of the first students to attend the National Fire Academy: (1) How did the course you took there compare to other courses you have taken in your fire service career?, (2) Were you able to apply this knowledge to your own work?, (3) Did you impart this knowledge to members of your department or others?, and (4) How did you find the accommodations?
Gordon W. Moody, Captain, Laramie, Wyom.: The Fire/Arson Investigation course that the academy offers is taught by qualified instructors and is an advanced course that is more detailed than others that I have taken.
I have applied this knowledge in my own work here at the fire department in my obligation to make routine investigations of all structure fires.
Since I have returned to my everyday duties with the fire department, I have given several classes to members of the department and shared most of the knowledge that was obtained at the academy.
The accommodations were found to be of very high quality, including the dining facilities and the service provided by the academy personnel.
C. Thomas Thompson, Fire Inspector/ Investigator, Fullerton, Calif.: The courses I took were very well prepared and were excellent in content and were as good as the ones offered by the California State Fire Academy. I will use this knowledge in all areas of my duties as a Fire Prevention Inspector and a Fire Cause Investigator. I am and will continue to teach others in our department the information that I obtained at the academy.
The accommodations were excellent, and the food was wonderful.
The real value of this type of class and academy is the exchange of information between the students both during class and during out of class time. This type of information is invaluable as a tool and pool of resource. I would recommend the National Fire Academy and look forward to returning there myself.
Paul G. Lalonde, Dir. Ambulance Services/Lieutenant, Amherst, Mass.: The course I took at the National Fire Academy was the most intensive and thorough I have taken and I was immediately able to apply the knowledge to my own work. I have been able to impart this knowledge both departmentally and within a county organization.
Undoubtedly, the accommodations are in the process of improvement and cannot therefore be precisely measured. I feel the NFA will make the necessary improvements in time. In my opinion, the most deficient areas are: lack of adequate materials within the library; lack of smoke detector systems in the building; and lack of study areas for group meetings on the floors of the dorms, which would enhance group activities.
Overall, I had no discomfort and the meals were excellent.
Kenneth A. Thorpe, Firefighter, Clackamas, Ore.: The course I took, Fire Cause & Arson Detection, was by far the best I have ever attended in eleven years in the fire service. The instructors were very capable and knowledgeable, ran the class on schedule at all times and above all were very receptive to questions from the class. They also made themselves available to us at all times for discussion and/or instruction.
I was able to put all the knowledge I gained into immediate use and I did share what I learned with anyone who wanted to know.
The facility was excellent, well-maintained, clean and very conducive to a good learning environment.
Adrian Ouellette, Lieutenant, Hartford, Conn.: The course on Education Met hodology 1, which I attended at the National Fire Academy, was much different than other fire related courses I attended at local fire colleges. The courses I attended prior to the NFA were all mandatory courses towards an associate degree in fire science.
These courses did not cover materials in teaching or lesson planning as in Education Methodology does. As an instructor, I can now apply some of this knowledge at my local department training academy. Upon returning from the academy, I strongly recommended to my supervisor that we encourage more of our men to attend the academy in the future for various courses. The accommodations at the academy were just superior as I indicated to Dr. Thompson. His staff is most dedicated to serve the needs of the fire service.
Tony Pini, Chief, Santa Cruz, Calif.: I feel that the Executive Development II course was superior to other fire related courses I have taken. The course was a different approach and I had an opportunity to share knowledge with fire service personnel throughout the United States.
The information and knowledge had direct application to my job. I am able to utilize the skills we learned during the course and find the information I brought back to be helpful and valuable.
I was able to share some of the knowledge with department personnel; however the bulk of the course was designed to improve individual supervisory and communication skills. Without formal instruction there was not much information to share.
The accommodations were more than adequate and very comfortable; however the lack of air conditioning made sleeping all but impossible.
