TU: State looks to give military firefighters a boost to civilian jobs

Times-Union

By Clifford Davis

Most members of the military, whether medics, firefighters or infantrymen, share a common roadblock in transitioning to civilian life: translating their skills honed in the military to an equivalent job outside of it.

At FSCJ’s Fire School of the South on Thursday, CFO Jeff Atwater announced Operation Dispatch, an effort by the state of Florida to make that transition easier for military firefighters.

“Operation Dispatch is a strategic investment that applies credit to the training firefighters received during their military service and encourages these outstanding service men and women to come to our state where they will put down roots following their military careers,” Atwater said.

The move will also allow certain funding available to service members to pay for a larger percentage of the cost of firefighting certification, Atwater said.

Jonas Macskassy, a graduate of one of the first two pilot groups to graduate from the program, said the initiative streamlined the process and allowed him to receive his certification much quicker than would have previously been possible.

“That’s a big problem when we get out of the military and you’re trying to translate the military records and training into the civilian equivalent,” Macskassy said. “That’s a great thing with this program that they’ve been able to look at our military records and training and translate that into the Florida training-equivalency classes.”

Once a firefighter obtains a Florida certification, they are eligible to be hired at any fire department within the state.

“Now we only have to fill a small gap to get up to the same level of training and certifications as the Florida firefighters have,” Macskassy said.

For most former military firefighters, the new certification process will leave only about 40 hours of training to be completed before they can become certified.

There are minor differences.

“Fighting a shipboard fire is a little different than fighting a structure fire, but a lot of the fundamentals are the same,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Brandon Coates, a damage controlman at Mayport Naval Station. “The fire chemistry and methods of attack are all the same, but with a shipboard fire, you don’t have to worry about the roof collapsing.

“You’re stuck in a steel box.”

The Navy won’t be the only service benefitting from the program, said Lt. Justin Philips, spokesman for Florida’s Air National Guard.

“Sometimes firefighting can be a tough field in which to recruit, especially in the Air National Guard,” Phillips said. “It’s a very, very tough school to get through on the military side because it’s demanding both academically and physically, so there’s a pretty high dropout rate.

“This is just another encouragement for folks to go get that training through the Air Force.”

No matter the service, many military firefighters look to join a civilian department after leaving the service.

“I know a lot of guys who’ve worked for me, that’s their plan,” Coates said. “They do four or five years, get out and get a fire-science degree and get into a fire academy like at FSCJ.

“It’s great if they can transfer a lot of that stuff over to civilian firefighting.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Email questions to operationdispatch@myfloridacfo.com or contact the Florida State Fire College at (352) 369-2800.
A website is coming soon where those looking for more information can turn, according to CFO Atwater’s spokeswoman Ashley Carr.

Clifford Davis: (904) 359-4103