We at the Vista Fire Department would like to congratulate Probationary Firefighter Marc Baiocco on completing the New York State Firefighter I and Firefighter Survival program at the Westchester County Fire Training Center in Valhalla, New York!

Probationary Firefighter Baiocco completed the 110+ hour course spanning the last 3 months out of the Katonah Training Division and is now certified as an Interior Firefighter.

Firefighter I is the first course that all our members who join as a Volunteer Firefighter attend as it trains them to have the necessary fundamental tools to become an Interior Firefighter. We strongly encourage all of our members to continue their training beyond Firefighter I and Firefighter Survival as Probationary FF Baiocco is already signed up to take the "Firefighter Assist and Search Team" course this August at the Westchester County Fire Training Center.

Firefighter I is described by the Westchester County Fire Training center as the following: "NYS Firefighter-1 course is a comprehensive program that prepares an entry-level firefighter to respond to emergencies under the direct supervision of a company officer. This course also assists the new member in accomplishing the objectives of NFPA 1001 and NFPA 472 and trains the entry level Firefighter as an interior structural firefighter in accordance with OSHA regulations 1910.156.

This course develops knowledge, skills and abilities based on performance criteria for the following topics: Fire department organization, firefighter safety, fire behavior, personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, fire extinguishers, building searches, forcible entry, ground ladders, ventilation, hose practices fire streams, and loss control. The course consists of performance criteria in incident command, building construction, ropes/knots, rescue procedures, forcible entry applications, ventilation practices, fire extinguisher applications, suppression of structural fire, tactics, vehicle suppression, water supply, loss control, fire cause determination, fire department communications, fire suppression systems, hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, confined space safety and fire prevention practices."

Firefighter Survival is described by the Westchester County Fire Training center: "Based on Chief John Salka's "Get Out Alive" program, this program is designed for self-rescue and rescue of trapped firefighters. Course content will enable firefighters to recognize the types of events encountered on the fire ground that contribute to firefighter disorientation and/or entrapment, to have knowledge of what is necessary to ensure their safety and that of their partners or crew members, and perform self-rescue techniques when disoriented, separated, or when needing to exit a structure in an emergency. This course requires students to perform a number of practical evolutions with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)."