Mission Statement

The mission of the Georgia Smoke Diver program is to prevent death and injury by training firefighters to be adaptable and to develop critical decision making skills in high stress environments.

Program Overview

This six-day, 60 hour program is designed for the experienced firefighter who desires realistic training in self-survival, firefighter rescue, advanced search & rescue, thermal imaging, emergency procedures, teamwork, discipline and how to function within elements of the Incident Command System.  This program condenses and replicates the extreme demands that may be placed on firefighters during multi-day operations such as catastrophic disasters and acts of terrorism.  Additionally, emphasis is placed on the potential day-to-day challenges firefighters may face such as multiple-alarm fires or multiple fires within a single shift.  This course is the most physically and mentally challenging program offered by the Georgia Fire Academy.  The program has a long history in the state of Georgia and throughout the nation.  While the course has been continually updated to keep it on the leading edge of firefighting technology and firefighter safety, the core of the program remains the same as the original course developed in 1978.  This unique course is conducted jointly by the Georgia Fire Academy and the Georgia Smoke Diver Association.   Due to the structure, schedule, physical and mental demands of this course, all nutritional and fluid in-take is monitored.  All participants are required to stay on campus at GPSTC (no exceptions) for safety, health, and welfare monitoring.  

Qualification / Registration

Due to the large number of firefighters wishing to register for this course and the number of candidates who have attempted the course without proper physical training, a separate course; Georgia Smoke Diver Qualification Test has been created.  This qualification test will allow 100 firefighters to compete for the 28 available positions in each Smoke Diver Class.  The only way to register for a Smoke Diver Class is to register for the Georgia Smoke Diver Qualification Test.