| Regional Alliance for Firefighter Training |   |
Driver Operator SERIES
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General
2-Day Class Includes Pro Board Exam
2026 Pricing
$525 for RAFT Members
$750 for Nonmembers
Want to hold a Driver Operator class outside of Michigan?
Contact Us for Pricing and Details
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The RAFT Driver/Operator — General course (NFPA 1010-2024) is a practical skills certification program covering the foundational competencies required of all fire apparatus operators, regardless of apparatus type. Across ten assessed JPRs spanning Chapter 11, candidates demonstrate proficiency in emergency communications—initiating responses to reported emergencies and transmitting and receiving radio traffic accurately within AHJ timeframes—as well as apparatus readiness through visual and operational inspection of pumping, foam, and water systems. Scene safety skills include safe apparatus mounting and dismounting, seat belt compliance during responses, and establishing protected work areas using traffic and scene control devices for both emergency and non-emergency incidents.
REQUIREMENTS
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The operational skills portion mirrors the pumper-specific evolutions assessed at the Chapter 12 level, establishing the baseline pumping competencies that underpin all apparatus variants. Candidates must connect a pumper to a hydrant or static water source, produce effective hand and master streams from multiple supply configurations (internal tank, pressurized source, static draft, and tank-to-external transfer), and pump supply lines of 2½-inch or larger hose within a relay pumping evolution at specified flow and pressure. Additional assessed skills include producing a correctly proportioned foam fire stream and supplying water to fixed fire sprinkler and standpipe systems at the required volume and pressure via the fire department connection. All ten assessment sheets use a pass/fail format, requiring mastery of every listed step, and are evaluated and signed by a qualified evaluator, with first-test and retest columns. |
Pumper
2-Day Class Includes Pro Board Exam
2026 Pricing
$525 for RAFT Members
$750 for Nonmembers
Want to hold a Driver Operator class outside of Michigan?
Contact Us for Pricing and Details
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The RAFT Driver/Operator — Pumper course (NFPA 1010-2024) is a practical skills certification program covering the core competencies required of fire apparatus operators at the pumper level. Across ten assessed JPRs spanning Chapters 12.2 through 12.4, candidates demonstrate proficiency in emergency communications—initiating and receiving dispatched responses, transmitting and receiving radio traffic—as well as apparatus readiness through visual and operational inspection of pumping, foam, and water systems. Scene safety skills include proper apparatus mounting and dismounting, seat belt compliance, and establishing protected work areas using traffic control devices at both emergency and non-emergency incidents.
REQUIREMENTS
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The operational heart of the course focuses on water supply and pumping evolutions. Candidates must connect a pumper to a hydrant or static water source, produce effective hand and master streams from multiple supply configurations (internal tank, pressurized source, static draft, and tank-to-external transfer), and pump supply lines of 2½-inch or larger hose within a relay pumping evolution at specified flow and pressure. Additional assessed skills include producing a correctly proportioned foam fire stream and supplying water to fixed fire sprinkler and standpipe systems at the required volume and pressure via the fire department connection. All ten assessment sheets use a pass/fail format requiring mastery of every listed step, with first-test and retest columns evaluated and signed by a qualified evaluator.
Mobile Water Supply
2-Day Class Includes Pro Board Exam
2026 Pricing
$525 for RAFT Members
$750 for Nonmembers
Want to hold a Driver Operator class outside of Michigan?
Contact Us for Pricing and Details
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The RAFT Driver/Operator — Mobile Water Supply course (NFPA 1010-2024) is a practical skills certification program covering the competencies required to operate mobile water supply apparatus, commonly referred to as tankers, in support of fire suppression operations. Across six assessed JPRs spanning Chapter 17, candidates demonstrate proficiency in emergency communications—initiating responses to reported emergencies and transmitting and receiving radio traffic accurately within AHJ timeframes—as well as apparatus readiness through visual and operational inspection of the water tank, pumping system, rapid dump system, and foam system, as applicable. The inspection JPR reflects the unique configuration of the mobile water supply apparatus by explicitly including verification of the rapid dump valve and chute, alongside the pump and foam checks common to other apparatus types.
REQUIREMENTS
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The operational skills portion focuses on the water shuttle competencies that distinguish this certification from the General and Pumper tracks. Candidates must maneuver and position the apparatus at both fill and dump sites—demonstrating the correct approach, alignment with supply or discharge connection points, and the ability to complete positioning without striking any objects. A third operational JPR requires candidates to establish a complete water shuttle dump site, including deployment and positioning of two or more portable tanks, placement of low-level strainers, connection and operation of water transfer equipment between tanks, and coordination of incoming apparatus to ensure the drafting tank remains continuously full. All six assessment sheets use a pass/fail format, requiring mastery of every listed step, and are evaluated and signed by a qualified evaluator, with first-test and retest columns.
Aerial Fire Apparatus
2-Day Class Includes Pro Board Exam
2026 Pricing
$525 for RAFT Members
$750 for Nonmembers
Want to hold a Driver Operator class outside of Michigan?
Contact Us for Pricing and Details
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The RAFT Driver/Operator — Aerial Fire Apparatus course (NFPA 1010-2024) is a practical skills certification program covering the specialized competencies required to operate aerial apparatus safely and effectively. Across six assessed JPRs spanning Chapter 13, candidates demonstrate proficiency beginning with a comprehensive apparatus inspection that goes well beyond the General chapter baseline—verifying cable systems, hydraulic systems, slides and rollers, stabilizing systems, aerial device safety interlocks and load-sensing devices, breathing air systems, and communications systems, culminating in a full-range operational test of the aerial device itself. From there, candidates demonstrate scene size-up and apparatus positioning for aerial deployment, accounting for overhead obstructions, ground slope and surface stability, setback distance, and the working angle required for the assigned task.
REQUIREMENTS
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The operational skills portion addresses the complete deployment sequence unique to aerial apparatus. Candidates must stabilize the apparatus by deploying outriggers with appropriate cribbing, leveling it, and confirming the interlock systems before transferring power to the aerial hydraulic system. They then demonstrate operation of the aerial device from both the lower turntable control station and the upper tip or platform control station, including smooth rotation, elevation, and extension to accomplish an assigned task, while monitoring load limits and communicating with ground personnel. Two additional JPRs round out the certification: candidates must lower the aerial device using the emergency operating system—simulating primary hydraulic failure—and deploy and operate an elevated master stream at a desired flow rate, coordinating nozzle positioning and stream adjustment with the pump operator throughout the evolution. All six assessment sheets use a pass/fail format, requiring mastery of every listed step, and are evaluated and signed by a qualified evaluator, with first-test and retest columns.
Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting
2-Day Class Includes Pro Board Exam
2026 Pricing
$525 for RAFT Members
$750 for Nonmembers
Want to hold a Driver Operator class outside of Michigan?
Contact Us for Pricing and Details
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The RAFT Driver/Operator – Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting (ARFF) course (NFPA 1010-2024) is a practical skills certification program covering the specialized competencies required to operate ARFF vehicles in the unique operational environment of an airport. Across six assessed JPRs spanning Chapter 16, candidates begin with a vehicle inspection that extends beyond the General chapter baseline to include agent dispensing systems such as roof and bumper turrets, secondary extinguishing systems such as dry chemical or Halotron, and vehicle-mounted breathing air cascade systems. Vehicle operation is assessed across two distinct driving JPRs: candidates must complete a predetermined route through all aircraft movement areas in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations — including radio communication and clearance coordination with airport ground control — and separately demonstrate operation off improved surfaces, selecting appropriate drivetrain modes and managing terrain features within the vehicle's design limitations.
REQUIREMENTS
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The operational skills portion addresses ARFF-specific tactical competencies. Candidates must maneuver and position the vehicle at the correct operational positions relative to the largest aircraft using the airport, demonstrating awareness of hazard zones including engine intakes, jet blast, and wingtip and empennage areas. Two fire stream JPRs assess the ARFF vehicle's pump-and-roll capability: candidates must produce a fire stream via deployed turrets while operating the vehicle in both forward and reverse power modulation, keeping the agent stream on target throughout movement, and must also produce effective fire streams from multiple water source configurations — internal tank, pressurized source, and static draft — monitoring pump panel gauges and apparatus systems for problems throughout each evolution. All six assessment sheets use a pass/fail format requiring mastery of every listed step, evaluated and signed by a qualified evaluator with first-test and retest columns.