The Vista Fire Department proudly congratulates Firefighter/EMT Ashtin Rama on successfully completing the Firefighter I with Firefighter Survival program, a comprehensive 152-hour course conducted at the Westchester County Fire Training Center in Valhalla, New York.

This rigorous program consists of multiple components designed to prepare new firefighters for both exterior and interior fireground operations. The first phase, Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations with Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations, prepares firefighters to operate in exterior and non-IDLH environments. Training includes firefighter PPE, SCBA inspection and cylinder changes, fireground communications, building construction and fire behavior, modern fire control research, ladders, forcible entry, ventilation theory, water supply, hose and fire streams, loss control, fire prevention and life safety, confined space awareness, first aid and buddy care, and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations.

The second phase, SCBA / Interior Firefighting Operations, builds upon this foundation and prepares firefighters to operate in IDLH environments as interior structural firefighters. Instruction covers SCBA donning, doffing, air management and emergency procedures, firefighter survival techniques, search and victim removal, hose line advancement, forcible entry, ventilation techniques, vehicle and wildland firefighting theory, coordinated interior and transitional fire attack, and initial company operations.

The program also includes Firefighter Survival, based on Chief John Salka’s “Get Out Alive” curriculum. This training focuses on self-rescue and the rescue of trapped firefighters, teaching students to recognize conditions that lead to disorientation or entrapment, maintain situational awareness, and safely exit structures during emergencies. The course includes hands-on practical evolutions using SCBA and incorporates the National Fire Academy’s “Calling the Mayday” procedures.

Congratulations to Firefighter/EMT Rama on this significant achievement and continued commitment to training, safety, and excellence in the fire service.

All training is provided free of charge to Vista Fire Department members, and we are always looking for new volunteers! If you’re interested in joining, call us at (914) 533-2727, email Info@VistaFD.org, visit https://www.vistafd.org/content/become/, or apply online at https://www.vistafd.org/apply