Fire Safety FAQ
Two – South Media Fire Company and Garden City Fire Company. Together, we operate as the Nether Providence Fire Department.
We don’t have set shifts that we work. We all have pagers (or iPhone apps) that alert us when there’s an incident that requires our help. We could be eating dinner, at work, out buying groceries, or at home sleeping when the call comes in. We’ll report to the station, get our gear, and respond to the emergency from there. Because there’s no guarantee that we’ll all be available at any given time, it’s critical to have as many members from the community as possible.
For our fully trained interior firefighters (ProBoard Fire 1 as minimum), we do have shifts serving as the Duty Engine for the 6th Fire District approximately 3-4 times per month.
We have drill every Monday night from 7 PM until about 9 PM, and cover a large variety of topics over the course of the year. We have a fully hands on additional training each Sunday from 9 AM until 1 PM, which usually involves specific Engine and Rescue operations training including advancing hose lines, drafting, forcible entry, low angle rescue, water rescue, and responding to electrical and gas emergencies.
In addition, our firefighters are expected to earn their Firefighter I and Vehicle Rescue certifications.
The Firefighter I certification consists of:
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Introduction to the Fire Service – 16 hours
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Hazardous Materials Awareness – 4 hours
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Fire Ground Support – 34 hours
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Exterior Firefighter – 52 hours
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Hazardous Materials Operations – 24 hours
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First Aid / CPR – 8 hours
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Interior Firefighter – 44 hours
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Firefighter I certification exam – 10 hours
The Vehicle Rescue certification consists of:
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Vehicle Rescue Awareness – 24 hours
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Vehicle Rescue Operations – 20 hours
Most fire school classes are held at either the Montgomery County Fire Academy or the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center.
