2026 DPSST Winter Fire School

Winter Fire School takes place on the Oregon Public Safety Academy (OPSA) campus in Salem, Oregon. All classes will be the two full days of the school, so be prepared to stay until approximately 5pm at the end of day on the 22nd. Lodging for Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st is free for participants traveling over 75 miles and breakfast and lunch are provided for every attendee.

Students must have substantial involvement in fire prevention and control, emergency medical services, fire-related emergency management activities or aligned professions.

Courses offered:

NFA New Fire Chief :Administrative Issues - (F0761) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-The goal of this 2-day course is to provide students with the managerial, administrative and leadership skills and awareness necessary for new or recently appointed or elected chiefs to effectively meet their obligations of the position.

NFA Strategy and Tactics for Initial Company Operations - (F0455) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course is designed to meet the needs of Company Officers (COs) responsible for managing the operations of 1 or more companies during structural firefighting operations. This course is designed to develop the management skills needed by COs to accomplish assigned tactics at structure fires.

NFA Decision-Making for Initial Company Operations- (F0457) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course is designed to develop the decision-making skills needed by Company Officers (COs) to accomplish assigned tactics at structure fires. All activities and scenarios used in this course are based on structure fires. With the real possibility of being the first to arrive at an incident, the CO’s initial decisions will have an impact throughout the entire incident. It is vital that COs be able to make good management decisions that have a favorable impact on the eventual outcome.

NFA Preparation for Initial Company Operations- (F0458) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course is designed to develop a better understanding of the role and responsibilities of Company Officers (COs) in preparing their company for incident operations and to clarify the transition from firefighter to CO and the new roles relating to leadership and safety.

This course is designed for COs, acting COs or senior firefighters responsible for the management of a single fire company at an emergency incident, including those officers who are responsible for company readiness, personnel safety and leadership as it relates to company operation.

NFA Health and Safety Program Manager - (F0722) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course will provide fire and emergency medical services department personnel and other related emergency responders with the aptitudes and abilities necessary to manage the duties and responsibilities of the Health and Safety Program Manager (HSPM) within their respective organizations.

Successful completion of this course will enable participants to:

• Adapt the HSPM roles and responsibilities while applying risk management health and safety concepts within their organization to determine system-wide needs and to develop support to institutionalize opportunities to meet the needs assessment.
• Evaluate and prioritize health and safety-related strengths and weaknesses within their organizations.
• Evaluate the environmental barriers affecting the implementation and impact of the organization’s safety and health programs.
• Evaluate and integrate the organization’s and individual’s responsibility to impact health and wellness positively.

NFA Wildland Urban Interface Firefighting for the Structural Company Officer - (F0610) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course identifies operational activities and safety concerns for structural Company Officers (COs) assigned to a wildland urban interface (WUI) incident.

Topics covered include:

• Introduction to WUI firefighting.
• Interface environment.
• Wildland fire behavior.
• Command and control issues of WUI firefighting.
• Tactics.

NFA Youth Firesetting Intervention Specialist- (F0633) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

-This 2-day course is based on the requirements of National Fire Protection Association 1035, Standard on Fire and Life Safety Educator, Public Information Officer, Youth Firesetting Intervention Specialist and Youth Firesetting Program Manager Professional Qualifications pertaining to the youth firesetting intervention specialist.

This course focuses on how identification, intake, screening, disposition and follow-up are used to mitigate youth firesetting behavior. Course content includes understanding the motivations behind youth firesetting and how the impact of adverse childhood experiences and behavioral/mental health changes can influence firesetting behaviors. This course is for the practitioner who provides services at the program delivery level

NFA Safety for Hazardous Materials Incidents- (F0256) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

Using scenarios and activities, you will oversee the safety officer role in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from hazardous materials/WMD incidents.

NFA Incident Command System and Resource Management for the Fire Service- (F0376) Prerequisites: ICS 100 and 200 level

This 2-day course will provide students with an understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS) and resource management for the fire service and their application in both emergency and nonemergency situations.

This course addresses the need for an ICS, an overview of the structure and flexibility of ICS, an understanding of the command skills necessary to function effectively in an ICS structure, and the need to effectively manage your resources.

Vehicle Extrication - Full PPE required (no SCBA needed)

-This 2-day training is for new participants only! Limited to3 or 4 slots per District. Please select your corresponding District when registering. If you do not fall within the District you registered under, you will be removed from registration. Please reference the Fire Training Regional Map to locate your respective District. Please note that tickets are separated by District but this training will take place on DPSST's campus.

Support Person (Hybrid Course) - Students will be required to bring full PPE to include turnouts, helmet, SCBA, spare bottle and mask, boots, gloves, and hood. Prerequisites: Online portion of academy assigned by lead instructor prior to arriving for hands-on portion.

-This hybrid course is designed for fire service personnel who serve in non-hazardous roles within their departments. Prior to the two-day, hands-on training held during Winter Fire School, students will be required to complete pre-course assignments provided by the lead instructor.

The course focuses on equipping participants with the essential skills needed to support fire department and fireground operations without engaging in direct firefighting. Topics include on-scene incident support, equipment preparedness, and maintenance responsibilities; all critical functions that help ensure overall operations run smoothly and successfully.

This class is limited to 3 or 4 slots per region. Please select your corresponding region when registering. If you do not fall within the region you registered under, you will be removed from the class. Please refer to the Fire Training Regional Map to locate your respective region

Click "Reserve a Spot" and select your preferred course.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, 4190 Aumsville Highway Southeast, Salem, United States