CA Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee

Nearly 100 fire departments in California will be better prepared for a terrorist threat, after sending their training officers and Haz Mat personnel to one of the CFFJAC's Terrorism Consequence Management (TCM) Train-the-Trainer courses. The CFFJAC has held classes in 11 locations throughout the state over the past year. The CFFJAC is co-sponsored by CPF.

Retired Davis fire chief Rose Conroy added the title of 8th Assembly District Woman of the Year to her impressive resume last month in a ceremony recognizing the outstanding achievements of women from the State Assembly's 80 districts. Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) recognized Conroy for her drive and determination that led her to blaze a career trail in an occupation dominated by men.

For more than a quarter century, the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee (CFFJAC) has been a leader in apprenticeship, training and recruitment in the fire service. Last month, more than 300 fire service professionals gathered in Cathedral City to explore new partnerships at the CFFJAC 10th Biennial Conference. 

When firefighter David Wills received his pink slip from Alameda Fire Department in June, he was added to the Displaced Firefighters List. Two weeks later, on his termination date, he received a call from Moraga-Orinda Fire District, letting him know they were hiring. The very next day, he went for an oral interview and a paramedics skills assessment. The day after that, he received a conditional job offer from Moraga-Orinda.

Firefighters scaled ladders in a vacant Valencia parking lot Monday morning - practice for rarely used but critical rescue operations. The batallion hosts different training sessions each month to keep the firefighter's skills sharp, said fire Capt. Gabriel Etcheverry.

Firefighters and first responders up and down the state have been training for terrorism incidents since the CFFJAC rolled out its new Terrorism Consequence Management (TCM) Train-the-Trainer course earlier this year. Three course dates have already been held in Sacramento, LA County and Riverside County, and eight more classes have been scheduled through the end of the year. More dates continue to be added.

Sacramento County ROP fire tech students spent the last year learning what it takes to be a firefighter. Last week, they met for their final class, which gave their families and friends a chance to see the students in action.

Recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and call 9-1-1 as early as possible. This was the message that Contra Costa Fire Captain and CFFJAC Women's Commissioner Lisa Beaty brought home to the crowd of over 400 women that gathered at the annual American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Luncheon in Sacramento.

For CFFJAC Women's Commissioner d'Lisa Davies, the chance to participate in the Soroptimist International of Riverside's event was a dream opportunity to show middle school girls that firefighting is a career option for them.