Training and Communications

Training

The Fire Training Academy is staffed by one Captain and one Fire Equipment Operator and the Joint Fire Training Facility is staffed by one Lieutenant and one Fire Equipment Operator who coordinate continuing education as well as new product and refresher training for the Irving Fire Department. They also maintain state-required training records and manage the on-the-job training program for veterans. The Training Academy is certified as a Basic Firefighter Academy Facility with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) and has the capability to train future recruits for certification.

Fire Communications

The Irving Fire Department has a state-of-the-art fire alarm office. Irving has been a part of 911 since the early 1980s. A computer aided dispatch system was installed in 1994 to aid in the timely response to emergency situations. Four shifts staffed with one Lieutenant, one Fire Equipment Operator (FEO/Driver) and two Firefighters per shift work a 24/72 schedule handling the 911 call center for the department. The four shifts are under the supervision of the Communications Captain.

Although commonly referred to as “Dispatchers”, the Communications Division personnel serve multiple functions including: 911 call taking, radio dispatching and monitoring, non-emergency call switchboard, database information, inventory control of all Fire Department hand-held portable radios and batteries, preparation and distribution of press releases for major incidents, operation of the city-wide emergency warning system, location tracking and movement coordination for the most efficient emergency response equipment. Calls responding to and calls for Mutual Aid requests are processed by dispatch. The members are also involved in communicating “pre-arrival” instructions to the callers providing assistance with CPR, childbirth, first aid, etc. prior to the arrival of the responding EMS response.

While the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) prompts the closest response for equipment, the Dispatchers monitor the location and status of all department equipment, traffic congestion and road construction to routinely make necessary assignment adjustments, ensuring a rapid response to the incidents in the City of Irving.