The Madison Fire Department’s Emergency Services National Academy offers EMT, Paramedic, Structure Fire, Wildland Fire and Hazmat programs.
Emergency personnel experience fast-changing situations that can mean life or death and the safety of themselves or others. Because of this, they need nationally accredited training.
ESNA certificates have reciprocity throughout all 50 states.
“It’s not just a class or course that’s specific to Madison Fire Department or Rexburg, Idaho, its something that is recognized nationwide,” said Troyce Miskin, deputy chief of Madison Fire Department and Dean of ESNA.
Training in each class includes hands-on skills development. The different programs have niche skills like using chainsaws, axes, fire suppression or life saving medical treatment.
However, there are skills learned across all courses.
Leadership, communication and decision making are among those.
“In an emergency services field, you have to be able to make quick, split-second decisions that could mean the difference between saving someone’s property or not, [or] life or death,” Miskin said.
These skills are found throughout the United States among first responders.
“They’re taught those skills not only that they learn here, but if they happen to be in another state or another county and they go to another scene, the other people have the same skill set so they can blend right in together and work as a team,” said Dr. John Lewis, the director of ESNA.
The Department of Transportation develops the curriculum for the courses. This federal initiative started after 9/11. Agencies around the country realized they needed the same access to training to work better together.
The department offers these courses throughout the year and they follow the three BYU-Idaho semesters.
Dr. Lewis says a good way to start in a career is to take the EMT course and the Wildland Firefighter course, otherwise known as the “Red Card.”
“The Red Card is the one that as Troyce talked about, is the card that you can work in any state, you can work for the BLM or Forest Services. In order to work on a fire line, you need your Red Card,” Dr. Lewis said.
For more information about courses and registration, go to esnalearning.com.