By Jake Lindquist
Code training and development

It is the time of year when we turn our attention towards the National Fire Academy (NFA). This year we are fortunate to host another round of courses at various locations throughout the state that focus on leadership within departments. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a large or small department; these courses are explicitly produced for company officers as well as for people who aspire to take a command role within their organization. 

These courses are all taught by NFA instructors and experts from outside the state of Minnesota. NFA state delivery courses provide an opportunity to receive nationally recognized education locally, which can be a significant cost savings when considering a weeklong trip out to the academy. The NFA courses this year are being held on weekdays and weekends, so that everyone has a chance to attend a class regardless of their full-time schedule.

Many of these courses are open to everyone, but please check the course listing before registering to confirm you meet the enrollment requirements and that there are not any prerequisites required to attend.

NFA courses are capped at 30 people per class. A roster is turned in 40 days before class and must show a minimum of 15 participants to commence. Fifteen days prior to class, another roster is turned in to confirm all attendees. Attendees will receive a student manual and an official NFA certificate upon completion of the course.

Winter 2019 and Spring 2020 National Fire Academy (Minnesota)

• Jan. 8, 2020: NFA-Strategy and Tactics for Initial Company Operations
  Location: Fleming Field
  
  
• Jan. 18, 2020: NFA-New Fire Chief: Challenging Issues
  Location: Merit Training Center (Marshall)
  
  
• Feb. 1, 2020: NFA-Campus Fire and Life Safety III: Codes and Systems
  Location: Duluth Fire Department
  
  
• Feb. 22, 2020: NFA-Incident Command System for Structural Collapse Incidents
  Location: Merit Training Center (Marshall)
  
  
• March 7, 2020: NFA-Exercising Leadership Through Difficult Conversations
  Waterville Fire Department

The 2020 Minnesota State Fire Code Academy has been filled. The academy was piloted this year and received excellent reviews. This week-long course goes step by step through the Minnesota State Fire Code, focusing on information that is essential to developing highly operational code officials. The State Fire Marshal staff teaches 100 percent of this course and provides students with real-world knowledge as it pertains to the requirements of the fire code. 

Registration for the 2021 code academy will open September of 2020, and we encourage people to be on the lookout for announcements and check the training page regularly for enrollment information.