Structural Fire Training

The NPS Structural Fire Academy held its first training at the Boise Fire Department training facility in Boise, ID. Previously, the course was hosted at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona. Over the years that Glen Canyon NRA hosted the academy, the team was instrumental in conducting fire academies and improving the NPS Structural Fire training program. The academy was moved to Boise, ID to be closer to the program’s headquarters.

In January 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) was reaccredited through the Pro Board for the third time. Pro Board, a system of international accreditation for fire service organizations allows the NPS to continue being recognized with more than 70 other national and international organizations for affirmation that our bureau’s testing process for firefighter training is fair, valid, and reliable.

After a two-year pause on in-person training due to the coronavirus pandemic, firefighters at Kalaupapa National Historical Park partnered with the U.S. Army at Pōhakuloa Training Area in Hawai'i for structural fire refresher training to maintain their qualifications.

The NPS delivered a Structural Firefighter Refresher course hosted at Glen Canyon Recreational Area (NRA) on February 22-24, 2022. Structural firefighters from Glen Canyon NRA, Glacier Bay National Park, Zion National Park, and Big Bend National Park participated in the refresher, which is usually given several times a year, but was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The NPS Structural Fire Program is proud to meet the mission of protecting lives and property.

This is the fourth in a series about two structural fire academy candidates, Brandon Penrose and David Robinson, park rangers from Grand Canyon National Park. Their stories have been blended together. As day eight of the structural fire academy comes to a close, more and more of what the instructors are teaching us is coming together out on the proving grounds.

The NPS Firefighter I program (Defensive Firefighter) was beta tested in Yosemite in 2011. NPS fire instructors put wildland firefighters from several national parks through 40 hours of intense classroom and fire suppression exercises, including structure, vehicle, and dumpster fire extinguishment. The training was designed to instill the skill sets to allow defensive firefighters to operate safely and competently, and helps address the problem of limited resources.

On January 20, 2012, the National Park Service’s structural fire suppression training program was formally awarded accreditation through the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications, more commonly known as Pro Board.

Follow 2 trainees at NPS structural fire training. On day 10 they fought real fire in a containerized setting. They practiced attacking the fire in different ways with different hose patterns. They learned how to hydraulically vent a room and help reduce the fire. They reflect on what they learned and how it changed them. The Service's structural fire suppression training program was formally accredited through the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.

Follow two park rangers as they attend the NPS national structural fire training. On day 1, they learn how to don their protective gear quickly and correctly. Later they must practice locating a downed firefighter while having no visibility and following a hose line.

Follow two park rangers as they attend the NPS national structural fire training. On days 6-9, trainees witnessed a controlled live burn inside a shipping container to experience the heat and smoke and learn about how fire moves, and learned about using existing sprinkler systems, precautions and firefighting techniques for compressed natural gas fires and liquefied gas, and extinguishing vehicle fires and removing occupants.