City of Coos Bay release – In partnership with Southwestern Oregon Community College, Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) is fortunate to have a resident intern firefighter program. The program allows college students pursuing a career in firefighting or emergency medical services the opportunity to live at one of the staffed stations within the City of Coos Bay. Students attend college full time and receive experience and mentorship from the career firefighting staff while assigned to one of the three shifts. Students participating in the program started a training academy June 19 that will conclude on July 8. The training consists of 40 hours a week of hands-on training, followed by several additional hours each night of book study learning the science behind the skills they are being taught. At the conclusion of the training academy, the students among several career firefighters will travel to Salem for three days of hands-on live fire training in a controlled environment that will give them an idea of what they would encounter during an actual structure fire. Coos Bay welcomes four new students to this year’s academy and intern program.
