The Port of Virginia and the Virginia Maritime Association are happy to present the 28th Annual Robert E. Rumens Hampton Roads Marine Firefighting School. The school provides 6 days of training which consists of classroom instruction, firefighting evolutions, vessel tours, exercises, and networking with many different agencies. 

We will have a very experienced staff of instructors who will educate responders in the complexities of the maritime environment. The instructors and personnel from the Port of Virginia, the USCG, the Northeastern U.S., and the Delaware Bay area, have extensive background in marine operations, and are looking forward to providing attendees the information and skills necessary to successfully respond to a maritime emergency. 

The following equipment / items will be required:

Fire Department Personnel 
* Full Turnout Gear 
* SCBA (No spare cylinder required) 
* Hand light 
* Eye Protection (non-shaded) 
* Proper Foot Wear and work gloves 
* Work Vest (Flotation Type III) Required! 
* Hearing Protection Required! 

Non- Fire Department Personnel 
* Hardhat 
* Coveralls 
* Hand light 
* Proper Foot Wear and work gloves 
* Work Vest (Flotation Type III) Required! 
* Hearing Protection Required!

IMPORTANT: You must supply your own SCBA w/ cylinder, and face piece. Due to limited resources, legal and safety issues, we will not provide additional face pieces. 

** If you wish to ship you SCBA please use either of the below commercial shippers. 

FedEx Ship Center or UPS 

2600 Ellsmere Ave 520 W 21st St #G-2 

Norfolk, VA 23513 US Norfolk, VA 23517 

Everyone must have a government issued photo ID (Fire Dept or Agency ID is preferred). You must carry your picture ID every day of the event. This will allow you to gain access to the waterfront facilities. International attendees, bring your passport. 

Everyone that attends this course will receive a Certificate of Attendance from the Virginia Port Authority. 

Information regarding Pro-Board Certification through the Virginia Department of Fire Programs will be coming out soon. A few things to help with preparing for Pro-Board certification: 

Pro-board is an accrediting agency; our course is NFPA 1005 Pro-Board certified. For those attendees who meet the Pro-board certification requirements and wish to receive the Pro-Board Certificate of Completion, please pay attention to the following instructions: 

* Students that wish to apply for Pro-board certification must meet the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) prerequisites. The Pro-board prerequisites for this course are ICS 100, 200, 700, 800, Firefighter I & II, and Hazardous Materials Operations Level 

* The required pre-requisite documentation for Virginia reciprocity must be sent in advance and the student must successfully pass the final exam. Upon meeting both these requirements, a Certificate of Completion will be issued that attests the student has met all NFPA 1005 requirements and standards. Students can then apply to the board for certification.

Lodging/Travel Information 

Hotel Reservations can be made at The Country Inn and Suites, 1801 Atlantic Ave. Virginia Beach, Va. 23451 or by calling (757)437-9100. Please reference the 28th Annual Marine Firefighting Symposium. Hotel reservations must be made by April 12, 2019. 

The closet airport is Norfolk International. (ORF) 

Payment for all students must be made by clicking here.

Other key information: 
Plan on a half day on Saturday, May 18th. Please do not make flight arrangements prior to 1500 hours. The morning session is important to allow time to test and provide certificates. 

The school agenda, directions, and release / medical forms will be provided to all attendees with the Welcome information letter.

On behalf of the Port of Virginia and the Maritime Incident Response Team we look forward to meeting everyone and providing this important training to ensure our ports are prepared for major marine incidents. 

Please contact us if you have any questions or comments. 

Bill Burket 
Director 
POV MIRT and Emergency Operations 
757-615-6661 cellular phone
bburket@portofvirginia.com 

Tracy Freeman 
Manager 
POV MIRT and Emergency Operations 
757-646-8444 cellular phone
tfreeman@portofvirginia.com