The Gettysburg Fire Department is committed to training for all responding members. Training allows us to improve our skills, increase our knowledge, and work together as a team.

Each responding member of GFD is allotted up to $1000 per year for training courses taken outside the department. Courses and programs may be taken at any accredited fire training center or affiliated location.

GFD members must complete a training request form 30 days prior to the start date of any training course taken outside the department. Even if the course has no cost and the member is not requesting any reimbursement, it is important to complete the form, so members are covered by GFD insurance during their training.  At the conclusion of the course, members must submit the training reimbursement form along with their completion certificate to request reimbursement of expenses. Training request forms are not required for training offered directly by Gettysburg Fire Department.

The Gettysburg Fire Department is a subscriber to the York County Fire School, and GFD members may take courses there for no cost (beyond our departmental subscription). Note that some courses which include ProBoard certification have non-waivable fees due to testing and certification costs. Find courses at York County Fire School.

The Adams County Volunteer Emergency Services Association sponsors classes at no charge for all Adams County volunteer personnel. 

Other excellent sources of fire training in Pennsylvania include:
The Shumaker Public Safety at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC)
The State Fire Academy, part of the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner
The Franklin County Public Safety Training Center
The Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center
Bucks County Community College

Many courses in the Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) are offered online by the National Fire Academy and FEMA.

The Gettysburg Fire Department currently is recognized at the state level as a “Participating Department” in the commonwealth. What this means is that in cooperation with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), the state has set standards in all fields of the fire service including professional qualifications (training).

These standards are enforced in most states, however, in Pennsylvania it is a voluntary program. Gettysburg members took the initiative to meet the requirements and are now proudly serving as a role model in the state with 75% of its members certified. For more information about this program please visit the Office of the State Fire Commissioner's certification website. Gettysburg Fire Department members currently certified: