City of North Las Vegas Fire Explorers Program

North Las Vegas Fire Department

FIRE EXPLORER PROGRAM

NOW RECRUITING 

INTRODUCTION

North Las Vegas Fire Department provides the opportunity for high school and college students to become familiar with career opportunities available in the fire service. Through classroom instruction, hands-on training, and volunteer work, explorers are provided a base of knowledge & experience that will benefit them not only in fire service careers, but also in all future endeavors. The program is designed to encourage and promote being safe, accountability, communication, teamwork, fitness and develop leadership skills.

OBJECTIVES

• Identify career fields that are related to the fire service.
• Provide career path advisement, information, and teach fire safety education.
• Assist the community by volunteer work in fire safety education & related service work.
• Identify and discuss the organizational components of a fire department.
• Identify and perform the basic duties required of an entry-level firefighter.

PROGRAM

The Program Advisor, under the supervision of Local 1607, manages the Explorer program.  It is the intent of North Las Vegas Fire Department to organize the Explorer program to operate in an environment that promotes maximum internal management. Explorers are offered the opportunity to advance to leadership positions to develop interpersonal effectiveness and management skills. The Explorer program is open to high school and college students ages 15-21. Meetings are conducted on scheduled Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each meeting consists of classroom instruction covering a variety of subjects related to the fire service, and a number of hands-on drills allowing exposure to fire equipment and suppression techniques.

POSITIONS

• Probationary – completed physical exam and has issued equipment.
• Explorer – completed physical exam & Minimum Company Standards, and has issued equipment.

REQUIREMENTS

• Open to high school and college students ages 15-21.
• Applicants must attend 4 consecutive Sunday recruitment meetings.
• Applicants turning 21 during the recruitment process may continue in the program.
• Members pay the following costs: Annual membership fee – $100.
• All members turning 21 while in the program must continue their college education and fire service entrance exams.
• All members may continue the program until a full time fire service position is acquired.
• Members may NOT have arrests or convictions for mulitiple minor offensive any serious offenses.
• All members must wear and maintain required uniform/equipment for meetings and events.
• All members must maintain a clean-shaven appearance and good hygiene. Hair length and side bums shall not extend past the lower edge of the ear lobe. Hair may be pinned up to meet this standard. Mustaches shall not extend below the corner of the mouth.  Goatees are NOT permitted.
• All members must remove any pierced jewelry prior to any activity.
• All members must maintain a “C” average in all classes and good conduct with the school.
• All members must attend meetings scheduled on Sundays from 7:00am to 12:30pm.
• All members must assist with 1 community event each month.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Conact: Joe’l Adams, Explorer Coordinator – (702) 277-0821 or via e-mail at:NLVFDExplorers@CityofNorthLasVegas.com

Las Vegas Fire District Fire Explorers Program

This is a program open to all Clark County residents age 16 – 21. It is free and easy to start.

The purpose of the Clark County Fire Department’s Explorers Program is to expose young men and women (ages 16 to 21) to the fire service. It offers an excellent opportunity for its members to decide if this is a career they’d like to pursue.The fire service is a strict paramilitary organization, so is the Explorers Program. Members are expected to adhere to all the standards of dress, personal hygiene and behavior set forth by the Clark County Fire Department.

How to Get Started

Getting started is simple. Prospective new members need only show up at the next Saturday morning meeting at 7:30 am. They must be dressed in jeans, with a belt, a white T-shirt with no markings and running shoes. They must be clean-shaven, with no earrings or visible piercing.

Becoming an Explorer

There are five steps in the entrance process:

1. New members must show a dedication to the Program by attending six consecutive meetings.
2. On the seventh meeting, new members must bring a one-page, typed, double-spaced essay explaining why they want to become a CCFD Explorer.
3. Must pass a written exam based on the Del Mar Firefighters Handbook (2nd edition) chapter on fire behavior. Study material for this will be provided on the 6th meeting. This test will be a combination of multiple-choice and fill in the blank questions.
4. Must pass a physical exam that consists of the following components:
   1. 1.5 mile run in less than 13 minutes
   2. A minimum of 45 sit-ups in one minute
   3. A minimum of 30 push ups in one minute
   4. A hose drag of 200 ft. with 100 ft. of 1¾-inch hose
5. Must successfully complete a personal interview with a question and answer period. This is used to gauge the new members attitude and allow them to ask questions.

Explorer Requirements

All meetings are held on Saturdays at the Clark County Fire Training Center. The Training Center is located at 4425 W. Tropicana Avenue. It’s the southeast corner of Tropicana Ave and Arville Rd, across from the Orleans Hotel and Casino (map). Meetings start promptly at 8 a.m., and will be approximately five hours long. Members arriving late will be denied entrance.Attendance at these meetings is essentially mandatory although excused absences will be considered (school, CCFD events, some family matters). All excused absences have to be approved by Platoon TAC Officers. Unexcused absences are considered “no call, no show.” Two (2) “no call, no shows” in a one-year period will constitute grounds for dismissal from the Program. You must make up excused absence times by volunteering on a one-hour to one-hour basis within 30 days or it will become an unexcused absence.

Explorers must maintain a minimum test average of 80%. Test scores of less than 80% will result in the Explorer being counseled on how to improve. If a third failing grade occurs, then the Explorer will be demoted. On the fourth offense, the Explorer will be asked to leave the Program.

Physical ability will be benchmarked on a quarterly basis. Explorers are expected to show progress in all areas of the physical ability test. The fire service is a very demanding physical profession; therefore, if the Explorer does not show progress from test to test, they will be counseled progressively with a policy of third offense dismissal from the Program. Appropriate physical conditioning cannot be achieved once every two weeks; therefore, a consistent, self-motivated physical program will be essential for success.

Community service and volunteer time are vital parts of the Clark County Fire Department Explorers Program. Explorers will be required to volunteer a minimum of four (4) hours per month. Explorers can either volunteer within or outside of the fire department but all times must be documented.

Levels of Explorer

• White shirt – first six meetings
• Explorer 1 – up to six months
• Explorer 2 – unlimited time (ride along level)
• Explorer 2 Officer – Captain or Lieutenant of a platoon
• Cadet – must have been a Platoon Officer to be considered