Monday, March 2, 2020
Pictured standing in front of a fire truck donated by the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and artwork donated by CW Wraps are members of the latest academy cohort and instructors. Pictured, back row, from left, are: CW Wraps Owner Sam Carlino, Deputy Chief Bill Deruyter, Morgan Nichols, Kyan Zimmerman, Eli Scofield, Austin Salisbury, Zackary Ginter, Reese Shaffer, MacKenzie Allison, and Coeur d’Alene Firefighter Paramedic Chris Kieres. Front row, from left: Tristan Lakey, Noah Scofield, Nickolas Sodano, Ashley Luttrell, Marah Ashcraft, Brenden Larsen and Jacob Walker.
Ten years ago, the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center partnered with area fire agencies to create the Firefighter 1 Academy. The academy is run from mid-January through mid-May and trains up 16 individuals to prepare for national certification testing, which is required for those pursuing firefighting as a career path.
The program is sponsored by the Coeur d Alene Fire Department under the leadership of Deputy Chief Bill Deruyter with instructors from Coeur d’Alene, Northern Lakes Fire Protection District, Timberlake and Kootenai Fire. The academy also allows individuals to transfer their certification to credits for the Fire Science Technology AAS degree. Registration opens on Aug. 1 and is usually full by the end of October.
Information: The NIC Workforce Training Center at (208) 769-3333 or www.nic.edu/wtc.