MCB HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Knowledge is power. The more a person knows about the job he is doing, the better he will be able to do it.
That's what the Marines at the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting unit at MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, had in mind when 18 of them enrolled in college level classes that will help them perform their daily jobs better.
The training will not only help the ARFF Marines excel in their jobs now, but it will also make them much more marketable in the civilian job market as well.
Once they complete all the necessary courses, they will be certified by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. They will then be eligible for certification by the Department of Defense.
The ARFF Marines will receive college credit for the classes they complete in the program.
"This is the first time a Marine ARFF unit has done this", said Sgt. Saulo Ugarte, training NCO at ARFF. "From here, the Marines can move on to take other courses that will lead to board certification for fire fighting."
Instructors from the University of Maryland's Fire and Rescue Institute give the classes to the Marines in a classroom located within the ARFF complex.
The students have already completed a course called Fire Instructor 1 since the program began. They are now working to complete Fire Officer 1, a course designed to help the ARFF Marines understand different techniques of teaching and learning about emergency situations.
The program is helping the unit in numerous ways, Ugarte said. The Marines will be more educated and know how to act as leaders during emergency situations.
The Marines who complete the courses will also be eligible to complete more advanced training that will help not only the unit, but also benefit MCB Hawaii as a whole.
"These courses are not just for the military way of life," said Sgt. Ugarte. "We are learning the techniques and methods of controlling emergency situations used by fire departments all over the country.
"I've already seen immediate improvement in the Marines since beginning the program," Ugarte said. "It's evident in immediate response to certain situations and thinking process used in an emergency."