Volunteers with the Lincoln Parish Fire Protection District No. 1 begin their training as soon as they join the department. To be a member, a volunteer must first complete an 18-hour basic training class, generally referred to as "Rookie School". But "Rookie School" alone does not sufficiently prepare one to be a firefighter - it's only an introduction to the basic firefighting skills and techniques. Individuals who complete our rookie school should expect to:

	learn how to don an airpack
	learn basic hose deployment and hose handling
	learn basic search and rescue
	learn basic techniques and principles of ventilation
	learn how to deploy and set up various ladders
	experience intense heat and fire inside the burn building

But training does not stop here; it's a continuous process that occurs year round. Each month, members of the department attend two Departmental Drills and a Station Maintenance Drill, almost all of which is devoted to continued training of our volunteers. In addition to the two Departmental Drills, a third drill each month is geared to a specific rank or area, with each month covering a different field. For example, the third drill one month might be specifically for chiefs or fireline captains; the next month might be for drivers & pump operators; the next month's third drill for firefighters. Each volunteer has the opportunity to spend at least ten hours monthly undergoing various forms of training.

The Fire District and the City of Ruston Fire Department jointly own a 60-acre training center located north of Ruston. This facility is extremely beneficial in the training of new volunteers and the continued in-service training of existing members. Our training facility includes a four story smoke tower, a "burn building", a building set up for search and rescue training, a maze, a 1,600 square foot classroom building, as well as petroleum tanks and pit for training for petroleum fires. There's a 5-acre pond that is used for training in water drafting. A 1,350 GPM pump located adjacent to the pond feeds a 10-inch water main and several fire hydrants located throughout the training facility so that firefighters can train in hose handling and conduct live fire training. Long range plans include a driver training area. Much of this facility was built by volunteers for volunteers.

Click Here to see photos of our volunteers as they undergo some of the training conducted by the department.