How to pass OFAI

"I did my stage 3 yesterday at FESTI and passed, first attempt. I wanted to say thanks to you guys for helping me a few weeks ago with the prep course that you offer. I had been fretting over it for a couple weeks and was pretty nervous, but got through it all just fine. In my opinion, what you offer is worth every penny"

Thank you, GP

"Just got back from OFAI and passed! ...Thanks very much for the help, don't think I would have passed without the prep course!"

Regards, CR

Just wanted to let you know, I passed my skills testing today! Thanks for all your help, I doubt I'd have passed this time without it. I'll definitely be looking at access rescue for rescue courses in the future.     

Thanks again,     David

I was successful today. Thanks for your training. I would not have been successful without it.

Jeff

"Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services have enjoyed a relationship with Access Rescue for the past decade.  Access provides technical rescue subject matter expertise to our service second to none, with safety as their primary priority. Knowledge of Ministry of Labour legislation and NFPA standards is Mark Alderman's forte providing learners with a depth of knowledge not provided by any other third-party provider that I've encountered".

Division Chief Trevor Shea

"Although I know my skills on the fireground I would not have passed without the coaching. I was the only one today that passed all the evolutions!"

HP Career Firefighter

Provided with PPE and appropriate fire service equipment, you will:

• Prepare various fire equipment for hoisting
• Correctly ascend a ground-ladder, perform a leg-lock, and egress onto a balcony
• Correctly hoist and lower an axe
• Egress from a balcony onto a ground-ladder and descend to ground-level
• You will be required to wear a safety harness for this skill. Prepare the axe for lifting using the appropriate rope & clove hitch knot with two half hitches. You must then tie two additional knots. You must tie a bowline knot around the ladder prop as though you would be hoisting it, and then a Figure 8 on a bight knot on a separate rope. When you have completed your knots, you must ask the evaluator if you can proceed. If the evaluator says no, you must determine and fix your errors. When advised to proceed by the evaluator, climb the 10m ladder until you encounter a rung with tape wrapped around it and apply a proper leg lock around the taped rung. Take both hands off the ladder, reach around and touch each of your toes. Climb to the 3rd floor balcony and step off the ladder and onto the balcony. Raise the axe up to balcony, and then lower back to the ground, using the hand-over-hand method. Climb back onto the ladder and descend.

Provided with PPE and appropriate fire service equipment, you will:

• Enter a maze and perform a primary search
• Don SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) and approach SCBA Proficiency structure on air. Enter the structure when indicated to do so by evaluator and perform a proper search technique through the entire maze, passing each obstacle as they are encountered.  You must exit at point of entry, once the proper search has been completed. Remain in a crawl position. Do not attempt to stand up, crawl outside or remove obstacles while inside maze. This will constitute a fail.   If at any point you feel uncomfortable inside the maze please inform your evaluator. The evolution will end, and this will constitute a fail.  The partial or full removal of the SCBA is also not permitted, and will result in a fail. For our purposes today the evaluator will accompany you to observe you while you are being tested.

Provided with PPE and appropriate medical equipment, you will:

• Perform a patient assessment and perform/verbalize each treatment for all conditions and injuries presented by the patient
• In this skill, you will perform your assessment and verbalize your treatment for all conditions and injuries discovered. You must conduct your assessment as you would in the field, including communicating with your simulated patient.  As you progress through this skills test, you must state everything you are assessing. Specific clinical information not obtainable by visual or physical inspection, for example respiration, signs and symptoms, will be provided to you by asking the evaluator after you demonstrate how you would normally obtain that information in the field.  You can assume you have at least one firefighter with you who is trained to your level of care. They will correctly perform the verbal treatments and direction that you provide as necessary.  You must demonstrate all skills prior to delegating.  The evaluator will acknowledge your treatments and may ask for additional information if clarification is needed.

Provided with PPE and appropriate fire service equipment, you will:

• Ventilate a peaked-roof
• You must choose the equipment needed to be taken up the roof ladder to ventilate the roof. You must correctly place the roof ladder and demonstrate actions required to determine the roof is safe to work on. Once positioned on the roof, cut a vent hole by removing all of the inner marked square and without cutting the outside marked square in the location indicated by the evaluator. You will ask the evaluator to proceed when you have advised the evaluator that you have completed cutting your hole. The evaluator will the hole is of the correct size. If the hole size is too large, you will automatically fail. If the hole size is too small, you will have the opportunity to correct the size.  If the evaluator advises the hole is the sufficient size, you will simulate opening the ceiling below the roof using the pike pole to make contact with the base of the structure three times. Once completed, you will proceed to climb down the ladder, return to the ground and place equipment on the ground at the base of the ladder. For our purposes today the evaluator will stay at the foot of the roof simulator and observe you.

Provided with PPE and appropriate fire service equipment, you will:

• Perform a one firefighter raise
• Ascend a 7-meter ladder
• Deploy a roof-ladder
• You must be dressed in full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and SCBA (not on air). Using proper lifting techniques, pick up the 7m ladder and perform a one firefighter raise. Inform the evaluator whether you will complete a beam or flat raise. These are the only acceptable raises. Once the 7m ladder is correctly in place, evaluator will inform you if it’s safe to proceed. If the evaluator says “NO” you must make the appropriate corrections to proceed. When advised it is safe to proceed, climb the 7m ladder and proceed to deploy the roof ladder correctly, and safely.  Once the evolution is complete, return the roof ladder to the ground.  For safety reasons, you must request the assistance of the evaluation staff to butt and steady the 7m ladder before raising fly and prior to climbing. Your time will start when the 7m ladder is picked up. Time will stop when you and the roof ladder return to the ground.

Provided with PPE and appropriate fire service equipment, you will:

• Establish a water-supply from a hydrant and utilize hose and appliances to assemble a pre-determined hose-lay
• Make all connections with the appropriate hoses and appliances provided. You must assemble hoses and appliances safely and properly as you would on the fire ground. Establish a water supply from the hydrant with a 100mm hose to the pump panel. Establish a hose lay from the pump panel with a 100mm hose to two 65mm hoses. One 65mm hose will terminate with a 65mm nozzle.  The other 65 mm hose will terminate with a gated wye reduced to two 38mm discharges. One 45mm attack line must be attached to the 38mm gated wye and terminated with a combination nozzle on the end. Once these connections have been successfully established, the evaluator will advise you to proceed to the charged line and direct water through the hole on the target.