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This website represents the views of Hampshire Retained Fire Fighters Union
ipds
IPDS is just one of the many acronyms bandied around Hampshire Fire and Rescue and yet with all of its promotions many people still do not know what it is. Put simply Integrated Personal Development System. Training and development that will cover new trainee and support you throughout your fire service career. IPDS is however more than this, it is more proactive and supportive of the student and, if you want to get on will fully embrace and support your desires. Equally, if you are happy in your rank/role it will ensure that you are maintaining standards.
But there is more, much more…
IPDS is the first tangible project which proves that HFRS really is putting its money where its mouth is and treating Fire Fighters as exactly the same irrespective of the type of duty system they are on—be it retained or whole time. Simply put, as part of a phased introduction from January 2005 their will be a progressive integration of retained and whole time fire fighter. They will ultimately undertake exactly the same training and will be equally qualified in accordance with the National introduction of IPDS. How similar will the training be—how about both retained and wholetime trainee will be on the same course for the first module of 10 days? After this module retained trainee will have a (pre-defined) choice to continue on and do other modules with their wholetime colleagues or return back to work (with a ticket to ride) and continue their retained training over a long period.
Further modules (BA, First Aid and Trauma, RTA and Hazmat) will accept both wholetime and retained trainee. These modules will be available throughout the year so there will be plenty of opportunity. In the future there may even be the option to take the theoretical BTEC qualification.
POEST
Point Of Entry Selection Tests will be levelled also. Whether you want to be a wholetime or retained firefighter you will need to reach the same high standard to join.
Disadvantages
Really there is very little that we can comment on that detracts from this introduction. It will mean that the new trainee module A will be 10 days Monday to Friday and trainee will need up to a total of 20 days off during there three year development period and a further 10 days in their fourth year (if not completed earlier). HFRS assure us of offering flexibility and support (including representing the benefits to your employer) so in homogenising the standards we have to accept that to be considered equal to Wholetimers we should not always be treated separately.
What about existing firefighters?
If you are currently a firefighter training towards competency there will be no change—you will progress along the same development path until competency, these developments will only affect new trainees. If you are a competent firefighter and want to progress, in the next year you will be joining the IPDS helix as discussed below.
 
 
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