Company Profile

In order to achieve our vision the TDA offers a wide and diverse range of programmes from Initial Trainee programmes, for both Wholetime and Retained personnel and Induction courses for support staff to pre retirement courses.

At the TDA we boast facilities to rival those of any Fire & Rescue Service in the country and indeed any training facility anywhere, including conference and teaching rooms and a 60 seat lecture theatre, all with fully interactive IT facilities.

The firehouse was one of the first purpose built Breathing Apparatus training venues in the country and, due a major refurbishment during 2008, will continue to provide an excellent training venue for many years to come. Alongside state of the art facilities including a Realistic Fire Training Building, a range of Fire Behavior Training units and a Road Traffic Collision training compound we can provide realistic training for the wide variety of incidents firefighters may be expected to attend.

With the recent addition of a Trench rescue simulator and a confined space and rescue dog training area and the proposed building of a Urban Search & Rescue rig and a Hazardous materials incident simulator, we continue to be prepared to train people from within the Fire & Rescue Service and colleagues from other emergency services in the very latest Search & Rescue Techniques.

We also make a contribution to Business continuity by offering quality training to commercial organisations enabling them to reduce risk by: •Meeting legislative requirement. •Facilitating a safer therefore more efficient workforce

Our teaching and conference facilities can be used by partner organisations and commercial customers alike. We work closely with all MF&RS youth engagement programs, offering a wide range of activities which provide stimulating and rewarding activities for young people from all social backgrounds.

Many of the programmes delivered at the TDA are underpinned by formal awarding bodies and in order to achieve this we work in partnership to deliver a wide variety of qualifications with the following: •Edexcel •City & Guilds •Chartered Management Institute •Anglia Ruskin University •Maritime Coastguard Agency •Institute of Safety & Health •Institute of Fire Engineers •N.E.B.O.S.H •Health & Safety Executive •Royal Yachting Association

We are committed to developing and adapting to changing circumstances, not only by ensuring that firefighters maintain the highest levels of expertise in the core skills required of a professional service, but also by ensuring all our staff are prepared for, the numerous challenges that lay ahead of us, examples of which include: •The development of the community fire safety agenda carrying the fire prevention message to the most vulnerable and making it work. •The growing threat of terrorism. •The rollout of equipment and associated systems improving our ability to contribute to greater levels of resilience to disaster at regional and national levels. •The introduction of more flexible working practices •Implementing effective programmes to promote and support a culture of equality and fairness within the service, enhanced by a more diverse and representative workforce •Developing Leadership and the identification of the key leadership skills needed by the fire and rescue service’s people.