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Firefighting Appliance Pump Technician

This project will see the development of training products to align with the workplace outcomes of Firefighting Appliance Pump Technicians.

Firefighting Appliances are operational vehicles used by the Fire and Emergency Services industry-sector. These appliances are designed to extinguish fires, facilitate rescues and provide various other forms of assistance. Consequently, the pumps utilised within Firefighting Appliances require specialised skills and knowledge for maintenance, troubleshooting and fault diagnosis.

In collaboration with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC), Public Skills Australia will identify the national practice standards of pump technicians and assist to build industry capacity of this workforce.

Technical Committee

Engagement with the Fire and Emergency Services industry-sector is currently taking place. In accordance with the Training Package Products Development and Endorsement Process Policy, a Technical Committee has been stood up to provide advice on the development of raining products.

The Terms of Reference for the Technical Committee can be found below:

(Firefighting Appliance Pump Technician - Technical Committee ToR)

Consultation Strategy

Public Skills Australia will engage in thorough consultation with stakeholders to ensure that their perspectives, concerns and insights are thoroughly considered in the development process. Details of consultation, including mechanisms and identification of stakeholders, can be found below:

Firefighting Appliance Pump Technician - Consultation Strategy

Throughout this project, a consultation log will be maintained to document the feedback received. Information on consensus gathering will be published following the consultation phase.

Details of this project’s information sessions and workshops will be shared here when available.

Public Skills Australia has developed training products for Firefighting Appliance Pump Technicians in collaboration with the project’s Technical Committee. The Technical Committee convened over multiple collaborative sessions to discuss the current and future requirements of this highly specialised job role.

The Technical Committee members represented:

  • Subject-matter experts and educational-experts nominated by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC)
  • The Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance
  • Stakeholders within the fire protection industry
  • United Firefighters Union of Australia
  • Registered training organisations and TAFE stakeholders.

In partnership with the Technical Committee, Public Skills Australia developed a comprehensive Job Role Analysis outlining the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for the role. By utilising the Job Role Analysis, Public Skills Australia has assessed units of competency across relevant training packages to address this need. 

The Technical Committee identified that the existing units AURPTA110 Inspect and service pumping systems and AURPTA111 Diagnose and repair pumping systems may be suitable for contextualisation to address this industry requirement. However, the units failed to address the safety measures of the job role and complexities of large-scale appliance pump sets.

Training Package Update

In response to the advice from the Technical Committee, Public Skills Australia has drafted the Firefighting Appliance Pump Technician Skill Set.

The proposed Firefighting Appliance Pump Technician Skill Set is composed of the following units:

  • AURPTA110 – Inspect and service pumping systems
  • AURPTA111 – Diagnose and repair pumping systems
  • PUAOPEXXX – Conduct maintenance and repair of firefighting pumps

This includes a proposal to develop a new unit of competency PUAOPEXXX Conduct maintenance and repair of firefighting pumps. This unit outlines the safety and technical requirements of personnel who conduct this work on firefighting appliance pump systems in the fire and emergency service sector. It places emphasis on:

  • Risk mitigation by acknowledging that vehicle mounted, and portable pumps may be larger than domestic versions, this includes higher pressures and volume capacities that increase risk factors.
  • Environmental considerations pertaining to foam and foam related product disposal from pump systems and storage tanks.
  • Improving consistency amongst workshops and agencies to better support portability of skills and improve workflow during interstate/interservice maintenance operations.

We Want Your Feedback

Public Skills Australia is eager to incorporate stakeholder insights into the development process. Consultation will be open from 1 October to 29 October 2024. During this time, we will be holding virtual workshops for public consultation on the proposed draft training products. We invite you to participate in these sessions and share your valuable feedback.

Workshop Schedule:

  • Session 1: Tuesday 8 October 2024, 11:00am – 12:00pm AEDT
  • Session 2: Sunday 13 October 2024, 1:00pm – 2:00pm AEDT
  • Session 3: Wednesday 23 October 2024, 7:00pm – 8:00pm AEDT

Documents

Please use the forms below to register for the workshops. Receive the Draft Training Product pack and specify the unit(s) of competency you wish to provide feedback for.

Click [here] to register for any of our workshops and/or receive the Draft Training Products pack.

Upon reviewing the Draft Training Product, please click [here] to submit your feedback.

If you prefer to provide your feedback via email, or have any further questions, please contact our Training Product Development team at:

tpd@publicskillsaustralia.org.au