Personal Professional Development Plan
| Fire investigator | Timeline | |
| Required Certifications | Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
| 2 years |
| Certified Fire Investigation Instructor (CFII)
| 1 year | |
| Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI). | 1 year | |
| Higher education required | Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science Technology | 4 years |
| Refresher or annual training | · Smoldering/flaming fires · Basic fire science · Sampling & packaging · Electrical causes of fire · Evidential value of laboratory submissions · Burning patterns · Statement writing · Defense/Prosecution experts · A methodological approach to fire scene examination · Ignitable liquids
| 24-hour training |
How would firefighters on the engine company have to work this training program around their other traditional duties?
Firefighting is a voluntary job that requires courage, time management skills, and empathy as well as professional qualifications. To be a fire investigator, one has to undergo training in different areas such as first aid, emergency response, vehicle fire inspection, types of fires among other areas International (Association of Fire Chiefs, & International Association of Arson Investigators, 2014). These certification programs can take as long as 4 years, while some only take 24 hours.
Being a fire investigator is a 24-hour job; this makes it difficult for fire investigators to pursue higher education. For a fire investigator to complete more senior education programs while still working, they will need to work around their work schedules. Fire investigators can opt for distance learning programs that allow them to study from the comfort of their homes. These programs are crafted in a way that one can access the classes at any time of day. This allows fire investigators to plan their study sessions when they are off from work.
Fire investigators can also take part-time classes to advance their education. Part-time courses can be in the evenings or during the weekends. A fire investigator can choose to attend these classes during their off days or off-hours. To manage the part-time courses as well as their daily duties, an investigator may seek their supervisor’s permission to adjust their working hours accordingly to allow them the time to attend the part-time classes.
Some of the required refresher courses only take a single day to complete. These refresher courses can be taken during team building activities and firefighting workshops. During these events, fire investigators can learn alongside their colleagues and build stronger teamwork skills as well as learn new investigation techniques.
| Occupational safety | Timeline | |
| Required certification | Health and Safety Level 3 proficiency | 1 year |
| NEBOSH certified with NEBOSH IGC | 1 week | |
| Higher education | Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Safety | 3 years |
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety
| 3 years | |
Master of Science in Occupational Safety | 2 years | |
| Refresher courses | Occupational first aid refresher course | 3 months |
| IOSH Managing Safely Refresher | 1 day | |
| safety field specialty training | 1 day |
How would a safety specialist balance the typical safety field education requirements and continuing education with these additional training requirements?
A safety specialist is tasked with the responsibility of preventing workplace injuries and accidents. The work of a safety specialist is to monitor dangerous machinery and ensure a clean and conducive working environment in an organization (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Occupational safety is a full-time job that requires 24-hour work input in places where employees work day and night shifts. Being a professional safety officer, therefore, requires full-time dedication and readiness for 24-hour emergency calls.
To become an occupational safety officer, one id required having an educational background in areas such as engineering and other sciences related to occupational safety (Friend & Kohn, 2018). These courses often take two or more years for completion, and some of them involve practical classes. It is, therefore, difficult for an occupational officer to study for a degree program while working. To maneuver this, the officer can opt to take leave days from work to pursue their studies. Some companies may not allow employees to take long breaks from work; therefore, this move is dependent on the company’s workplace policies.
An occupational safety officer is required to take refresher courses on first aid to ensure they are up to date with the relevant safety measures and procedures. An officer should be able to control the machinery as well as to provide emergency medical services in case of a medical emergency or injury (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Skills such as resuscitation, the dressing would, stop bleeding and calming down anxiety is vital for an occupational safety officer. These refresher courses take a few hours to complete. Therefore they can be taken on off days or during company workshops and team building activities. These refresher courses can be taken once a year to sharpen skills and refresh memories.
An occupational safety officer may also choose to further their education by undertaking a master’s degree course. A master’s degree in occupational safety takes approximately two years, depending on one’s availability and speed of learning. This course can be done as a part-time course during off days or leave days. The master’s degree program can elevate the officer to a managerial position in the organization. These programs are, however, time-consuming, highly demanding, and may interfere with the officer’s work. Officers intending to undertake a post-graduate program should inform the organization since some organizations provide financial help for further studies, and some allow employees to take time off to study.
References
Friend, M. A., & Kohn, J. P. (2018). Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Rowman & Littlefield.
International Association of Fire Chiefs, & International Association of Arson Investigators. (2014). Fire Investigator: Principles and Practice to NFPA 921 and 1033. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.