There are any number of courses available but I was interested in how these deliver the skills necessary to meet the now issued competence standard.
None of organizations offering courses has been prepared to share information with me for obvious reasons.
I have spoken at some length with the IFSM over their objectives and criteria against which they offer accreditation.
What worries me most is the all important underpinnng knowledge of fire safety. Whilst we have NOS only the ABBE and NEBOSH actually appear to have a published syllabus to meet these standards. I accept the principle that this is a matter for the training provider but in the absence of a national syllabus I fail to see how consistency can be achieved. Throughout the training sector there is so much focus on jargon and quangos, CQAs, NQFs, QCF, NQF, awards, certificates, diplomas and what makes me angry is the focus on hours learning time without regard to content of what has to be learned. Quantity not quality. The "Key Skills Signposting" seems to have fallen by the wayside. Perhaps it will come now we have a competence standard.
Fire Service College I am sure will work to a syllabus and I hope follows the good standards they set for the enforcers (prvided they have dumped their "Method")
As for the NEBOSH- marks for trying but 17 hours tuition to cover all the underpinning skills and knowledge from chemistry of fire, causes of fire and explosions, human behaviour, elements of structure, compartmentation, fire service access and facilities, alarms and detection, sprinklers and fixed installations, etc etc leaves my mind boggled.
The ABBE have done a decent job in their handbooks in setting out a syllabus to meet the standard, but again its very compressed. And the underpinning knowledge is covered once - if you have level 3 you dont need to do any more for level 4. There is a vast difference between the competences for levels 3 and 4 and so either it is overdone at level 3 or neglected at level 4. I believe the latter.
But I have been described as a professional cynic so I would be glad to hear from someone who has been through it and can speak from experience.
As a friend remarked having completed the CFPA Europe diploma- "Ive got the qualification but in no way do I feel competent to carry out a fire risk assessment"