Introduction | Fire Academy | AD/PO | EMT | Police Academy | Police FTO | Active Duty | In-Service Training
Introduction: Within eighteen months of hire, all Public Safety Officers receive instruction and practical experience in law enforcement and fire fighting techniques. Through our mentor program, we provide individual help and guidance to officers in training throughout the program.
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Fire Academy Training: Sunnyvale sends recruits to the Santa Clara County Joint Fire Academy or we hold our own Academy. Training begins with a ten-week class for new officers. Trainees receive classroom and drill instructions in fire prevention and fire suppression techniques.
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AD/PO Certification: All Public Safety Officers are certified as fire engineers and can drive and pump all fire apparatus. The 80-hour course involves driving fire apparatus, learning fire hydraulic operations, and qualifying for a class B Driver's License.
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Certification as EMT-1: All officers are fully trained as EMTs and certified in the field use of the Automated External Defibrillator. The 136-hour course is comprised of lecture and "hands-on" training, preparing the trainee to effectively manage medical emergencies as an Emergency Medical Technician - Basic.
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Police Academy Training: New officers are assigned to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Academy (Recruit Training Center) for their initial training. Under guidelines set forth by the State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.), new hires undergo rigorous training for a period of approximately 27 weeks.
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Police Field Training: After successfully completing the police academy, trainees become sworn officers. Their first assignment is to work with a field training officer on patrol duty. Before leaving the 10-level field training program, lasting nearly 14 weeks, new officers must demonstrate the capability and skills necessary to function safely and effectively on solo patrol.
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Assignment to Active Duty: After successful completion of the police academy, fire academy, and police field training program, trainees become a fully functional and trained solo Public Safety Officer II and begin an 18 month probationary period.
All officers in the Public Safety Department spend portions of the remainder of their probationary period both on solo patrol in a police vehicle and as a firefighter assigned to a fire station. Officers then bid for assignments, by seniority, to either police or fire duty according to the annual department schedule.
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In-Service Training: We believe that continuous review of skills and retraining in new techniques are essential for the personal development of our officers and the effective delivery of police and fire services. To this end, we conduct extensive in-service training programs for both police and fire throughout the year. While California State law mandates all peace officers must receive 40 hours of advanced officer training every two years, Sunnyvale provides 96 hours per year for ongoing in-service training. Additionally, officers are scheduled to receive specialized training periodically to enhance career growth.
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