BY KAFIA HOSH

The Stafford Fire and Rescue Department is improving its safety and training programs nearly a year after an independent review criticized the conduct of first responders at an emergency scene, officials say.

The study followed a dispute between paid and volunteer units responding to a house fire in the Rock Hill area last year.

Though no one was seriously injured, the review cited a number of apparent safety violations at the scene. A team from Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services led the independent review and concluded that some Stafford personnel needed additional training.

Stafford Fire and Rescue Chief Rob Brown, who requested the study, said many of its suggestions came as the young department was beginning to form its policies.

"We really didn't have to scramble to implement a whole lot of things," he said. "It reaffirmed that we were on the right track in what we were implementing."

Here are some key findings in the report and how the fire department addressed the issues:

IMPROVING TRAINING

Some personnel were unfamiliar with procedures and lacked proper training, according to the report. Also, units responding to the fire did not follow command-and-control procedure.

To create a more cohesive training program, the department now includes three paid training officers and about 20 volunteer trainers, who all teach from the same manual.

However, Brown said training sessions are not held frequently enough because the county's tight budget left no room to hire additional instructors this year.

As a result, some lessons are taught by different trainers, depending on the availability of a class.

"Any time you have multiple instructors for the same topic, you get different twists," Brown said.

"You do get some ad-libbing from time to time," said John McDonald, a volunteer division chief who oversees fire and rescue training. "We're paying attention to the instructors so that we are able to streamline the topic a little better."

The department also is consolidating the training provided to volunteer recruits. In September, the county is slated to begin its first volunteer academy, which will run separate fire and emergency services training sessions.