Training & Safety

Training

The Training Unit coordinates and delivers all types and levels of training to the Fire Department's 134 active members. Annual training includes sessions in Firefighting, Emergency Medical Services, Leadership, and many other specialized educational requirements. The Unit conducts the majority of its lessons at its state of the art classroom and on its training grounds, pictured here.

Our "Live Fire Training Prop" is New Jersey State certified for live fire and smoke operations and includes a two story Class "A" (wood and straw) burn building, which can be configured to simulate residential, commercial and basement fires. Other training simulators include a multi-functional maze prop, a roof simulator, a confined space simulator, high angle training tower, and a trench rescue simulator.

Burn prop building
Building prop during active burn

Certification

The Cherry Hill Fire Department Training Academy is a New Jersey Division of Fire Safety Tier 1 training site. This allows the department to deliver New Jersey State Certified courses as well as nationally recognized courses certified by Pro Board and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress.

Annual Firefighter certification training typically includes the following:

  • Individual proficiency and performance training
  • Engine and Ladder Company proficiency training
  • Ongoing Emergency Medical Technician training, including automatic external defibrillators (AED), CPR and EMT / First Responder certification
  • Monthly structural firefighting and/or rescue training, concentrating on various aspects of firefighting
  • Specialized training for technical rescue and hazardous materials
  • Leadership and Officer training
  • Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus training and proficiency testing

Each year, the Training Unit delivers hundreds of hours of required, specialized and certification-based hours of training to all the members of the Cherry Hill Fire Department.

Safety

The Training and Safety Unit is also responsible for the overall safety of the Fire Department. This includes delivering mandatory training, coordinating, and documenting various required medical physicals necessary for specialized operations, investigating all accidents and injuries to members and responding as a "Safety Officer" to any emergency incident where required.