Wednesday March 16, 2023

Nature: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Inservice Training

Location: Indian River Station #1

Address:  32628 Oak Orchard Road, Millsboro, DE 19966

On Wednesday evening, March 15th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company hosted a mandatory in-service firefighter and ladies auxiliary training addressing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion which is a mandated requirement of the State of Delaware.

At Indian River, our recruitment efforts strive to identify the best ineveryone, give them first-class training and encourage them to perform. If you’re driven to perform, you’ll fit right in. We approach our volunteerism fearlessly, learn quickly, improve constantly, and celebrate our wins!  Everyone is welcome—as an inclusive organization!

The Delaware State Fire School (DSFS) provided a fully trained and certified instructor to coordinate the classroom instruction for the training session.  The topics of discussion included but not limited to:

Three major area of importance which included:

Diversity – The presence of different and multiple characteristics that make up individual and collective identities, including but not limited to race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, language, and physical ability.

Equity – The process of identifying and removing the barriers that create disparities in the access to resources and means, and the achievement of fair treatment and equal opportunities to thrive.

Inclusion – Is creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to participate fully.

These in-service training sessions are essential to the development of firefighter’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to assist in mitigating emergency incidents and other operational needs.

The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company expresses its gratitude to our volunteers and mutual aid partners that participated during this event.