When you take the class do you go out and fight fires and get dunk in the pool again? Or is it just class room?
I can’t speak for the refresher, but the one day revalidation was an hour of classroom then firefighting and pool time crammed into the remainder of the day.
What did that cost?
Refresher courses have to asses on all of BT, so they must include live fire and in-water exercises and assessments. Revalidation courses only have to assess what cannot be reasonably and safely done in shipboard drills, live fire and in-water. So both must include fighting fires and in-water assessments.
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By itself I don’t remember. I did the advanced firefighting revalidation the day before. Both revalidations as a set were around 1000.
$1000 is such a ripoff for a two day revaluation.
Five days of BT is about $800 and four days of AF is about the same, but two days of reevaluation is $1000?
We are getting hosed by these damn schools. Most of them don’t have much equipment or overhead either. The USCG has given them a license to steal.
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I agree. Ironically there are still people getting passes on these revalidations due to covid. Some do and some don’t. I personally know a few people who have renewed in the last 6 months and had more than enough seatime. Some got told no classes, some got told to do the classes.
The school in so cal (TRL) which is pretty much the only game in town for californians, has always been one of the more expensive in the country. I don’t exactly live in commuting distance, but i sometimes can crash at a former co-workers place and save on hotel.
I’ve looked into going out of state but by the time i’ve bought my plane ticket, booked a hotel and maybe a rent-a-car, i’ve nullified my savings on the course.
My local taxpayer funded (by me) school gives me the same line. “Oh, we are much cheaper considering no travel costs.”
I travel quite a bit and can make a pit stop at a cheaper school along the way. For me, what fits my schedule is most important.
The good thing about the bigger schools is that they offer BT and AF every week. The also have gear in good condition that fits. Sometimes I meet interesting people at the bigger schools.
It seems like everyone except Mariners is making money off this licensing scheme. Adjusted for inflation our wages have dropped.
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Yikes, not cheap…I remember doing BT at MSC San Diego for about $500…
Not sure if it is a covid casualty or not, but MSC isn’t allowing outsiders to take their courses.
Everything they had was 100 bucks a day. Did my original advanced fire fighting and my original basic training there years ago. Top notch operation with great instructors. Its a shame its not open to the public anymore (as far as i know, may be wrong.)
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Makes sense. I was really impressed with instructors and training while there. Hopefully they’ll open courses back up to the public…
maybe continuing education coverage for mariners will sneak its way into the latest education reforms being proposed… 
Last time I checked with MSC, their courses were only open to MSC employees and the employees of MSC contractors.
It has probably changed, but at one point some private schools were allowed send their advanced fire students to the MSC fire school in NJ.
For awhile SIU had a pretty good deal for revaluation, but they are now only accepting union members.
Aren’t the ex-Harley companies in California union?
Why can’t those employees go union schools for free?
Not sure where all that ended up with the transition. I know starlight was siu and they could go to the piney point school. I know a few that took advantage of it.
The millennium guys were ibu. Not sure if they had any paid education/reimbursement.
Did my I hear something about Saltchuk buying one of the California ex-Harley companies.
Yep. Saltchuck now has starlight, and starlight is comprised of most (maybe all) of the ship assist tractors they had in SF bay and millennium’s equipment in LA/LB. Not sure if their union affiliation is still siu or if it changed.
They are not taking USMMA midshipmen (as of last month) so they are likely still closed to all but MSC.
Wow, no kidding? I remember using the MSC facility in New Jersey for my basic firefighting training. In the dead of winter. . .
The facility at Colt’s Neck NJ originally was a MARAD facility.