IFSTA Donates Training Materials to Iraqi Fire Fighters

May 4, 2009 – International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) – which has worked with the IAFF on various projects – has donated introductory fire fighting textbooks and accompanying materials to the Iraqi Joint Fire Academy. The academy was launched last year with the help of Henderson, NV Local 1883 member Garren Fulmer, who is currently serving as a Sergeant Major with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion.

Through his position in the United States Army, Fulmer was appointed to organize and advise the Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate (the National Fire Department). While Iraqis had an adequate amount of fire service equipment, they were severely lacking in training materials.

“We had some training textbooks available to us, but they really weren’t satisfactory for our needs,” says Fulmer. “We needed to establish a core program that could be sustainable after we leave.”

Through former Local 1883 member and current North Las Vegas, NV Local 1607 member Bruce Evans, Fulmer was put in contact with IFSTA Assistant Director Mike Wieder.

“We really wanted to help out, and our chief operating officer gave the the ‘go-ahead to donate materials,” says Wieder.

Fulmer found a translator who could translate the materials into Arabic. “This was great news to IFSTA because many of our materials have been translated into various languages, but none of them have been translated into Arabic,” says Wieder.

IFSTA sent several textbooks, as well as clip art disks, instructor outlines, PowerPoint presentations, activity sheets, quizzes and test questions.

“I was surprised how fast the materials arrived, which was great because it allowed us to get started,” says Fulmer. “Since then, the training has been going great. The translation has also been going well, but there is so much material that the oversight of that project may fall into the hands of my replacement when my tour here is complete.”

IFSTA’s umbrella organization is Fire Protection Publications (FPP), the world's leading publisher of training materials for the fire and emergency services. The FFP is a department of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (CEAT) at Oklahoma State University (OSU). IAFF Assistant to the General President for Technical Assistance and Information Resources Lori Moore-Merrell serves on the IFSTA Executive Board.