VIDEO: Chief Shawn Bittle says he’s had an idea for a long time that is now a reality. It revolves around how to encourage advancement in his department.
Chief Bittle says, “If you talk to 100 different firefighters, they will tell you 100 different things. Things like you need to take this class, or that class, get this training, or get this certification. In the end, it's really up to the organization to decide what you need.”
The Chief also says he imagined when he established the program and hung the plaque at the firehouse with the long list of certifications, it would be 5 to 7 years before anyone would complete all the certifications.
Turns out it only took 3 years for senior driver engineer Tara Bosch to blaze a new trail and become a master firefighter.