Training makes firefighters. Each year, our crews complete more than 54,000 hours of training, an average of 150 hours for every firefighter. Crews sharpen their skills and learn new ones for responding to structure fires, wildland fires and vehicle crashes. They also work on core firefighter competencies and EMS procedures and protocols. Training gives our crews the opportunity to try new strategies and work on established response protocols. It also allows them to experience low frequency, high risk scenarios where every decision could determine the outcome of the incident.

As every other profession is changing, so is the fire service. How we react and respond now is quite different than it was just a few years ago. We've instituted new safety protocols to keep our firefighters safe and found new methods to protect our community. On every incident, life safety is our number one concern and getting inside a structure fire to find potential victims quickly means a better chance of survival. West Metro's Training Division hosted a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) competition that tested new technology aimed at helping firefighters find people trapped in fires.