to the new website of the Monterey County Fire Training Officers Association. Our goal with this site is two fold. First, our desire is to assist members of the fire service, and fire service candidates, in receiving up-to-date training that meets their individual training needs. Individual training and continuing education in the fire service is a vital component to a successful fire service career. Secondly, we wish to assist fire service agencies in meeting their overall training objectives. We hope to accomplish this by linking fire service agencies with the resources, materials, and opportunities they need to have a successful training division with measureable results. Fire service training is continually evolving. A variety of improved delivery methods through new technology has opened many doors and provided new opportunities that were not possible in the past. Our desire is that this website will capture these new technologies and make them available to all members of the fire service.

The Monterey County Fire Training Officers Association (MCFTOA) has supported and provided fire service training in Monterey County for over forty years. As a standing committee of the Monterey County Fire Chiefs Association, the MCFTOA has hosted numerous classes over the years on many fire service related topics. Recent classes include practical Auto Extrication Techniques, Peer Fitness Trainer Certification, The Charleston Report, PC 832 Reserve Officer Training, S-440 Planning Section Chief, and many more. Also during this past year, we provided scholarship opportunities for Monterey County fire service personnel by covering 50 % of the registration fee for selected classes.

Along with hosting individual training classes, the MCFTOA supports fire service training efforts by operating the Monterey County Fire Library at the Monterey County Office of Education in Salinas. The library contains hundreds of training materials available for check-out by member agencies. Click on the “Fire Library” tab for additional information on the Monterey County Fire Library.

Believing in the importance of formal pre-service and continuing education, the MCFOTA has maintained a long standing partnership with Monterey Peninsula College. The MCFTOA has served as the MPC Fire Technology Advisory Committee and many members of the fire service in Monterey County are Instructors with MPC’s Basic Fire Academy. The California Fire Academy at Monterey Bay is operated through MPC located in the former Fort Ord Military Installation. For more information on the Basic Fire Academy and the State Fire Academy offered through Monterey Peninsula College, click on the “Fire Academy” tab to the left.

WILDLAND FIRE SCHOOL June 4 – 6, 2010 Registration Packets Available Soon

The training showcase for the MCFTOA is our annual Wildland Fire School held at Fort Hunter Liggett in southern Monterey County. For over twenty-five years we have hosted this extremely popular live-fire wildland training exercise. The school runs for three days and operates as close as possible to an actual incident. The school is supported by an exceptional instructional staff and the Wildland Committee of the MCFTOA starts the planning process for the school a year in advance. The school operates from a fully functional incident base under an ICS organizational structure. Over the years, thousands of firefighters and hundreds of departments have benefited from this exceptional wildland training opportunity. Click on the “Committee – Wildland” tab for more information on our Wildland Fire School.

Membership in the MCFTOA is open to any member of the fire service in Monterey County. Click on our “Membership” tab for more information on membership opportunities including a membership application, meeting schedule, and monthly meeting minutes.

We hope this website helps you meet your individual and department training needs. Please feel free to contact us for any training related information you may need or any suggestions you have to improve the delivery of fire service training in Monterey County.