Baltimore County Fire Department
Emergency Vehicle Driver Operator (EVDO) Academy

This course will encompass all the current prerequisite MFRI programs, to include MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver / Operator, and MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver / Operator, as well as the Baltimore County Fire Department Engine and Truck FADO turn-in procedures, to include the Baltimore County Fire Departments Engine and Truck FADO Clearances, outlined and presented in one continuous course.

This will be a dual-phase course. Phase I of the program will encompass all of the requirements of the Baltimore County Fire Department EVO Engine Driver / Operator, as well as the most current version of MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver / Operator course. Phase II of the program will encompass all of the requirements of the Baltimore County Fire Department Truck Driver / Operator, as well as the most current version of MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver / Operator course.

This Academy will run twice a year, in the Spring and Fall semesters, of each year.

Students attending the program will utilize off-duty time to complete the entire program. Every session in the program will be mirrored, and offered every Monday, and Friday, throughout the entire program.

BCoFD EVDO Academy Prerequisites:

To be considered an eligible candidate for this program, applicants must possess the following prerequisites:

1. Current Baltimore County Fire Department career employee who has completed their probationary process in full
2. A Baltimore County Fire Department Clearance to function in suppression and possess white pat tags
3. Completed endorsement letters from both their station Officer, and their Deputy / Battalion Chief
4. Valid State Issued Driver’s License
5. Valid EVO A Red Card (note: possession of a Valid EVO B Red Card will be accepted with the understanding that the candidate cannot participate in Phase II)
6. MFRI EVOC certification
7. FF-II Pro-Board Certification

BCoFD EVDO Academy - Phase I (Engine):

Phase I of the Academy will concentrate on the Fire Engine Driver / Operator portion of the program. Candidates will be given instruction of the MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator course in full, along with the skills, techniques, and evolutions, specific to the Baltimore County Fire Department’s Engine FADO Skills evaluation.

Phase I of the Academy will run every Monday and Friday from 0800 hours to 1600 hours, in a mirrored fashion, in consecutive weeks. All practical instruction will take place, and utilize the Fire-Rescue Academy’s compound.

Once a candidate has successfully completed the MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator course, with at least a grade of 70%, and successfully completed the In-Station Training Packet, and all of the Engine FADO Skill Card evaluations, the EVDO Program Manager will issue an Engine FADO Clearance letter, clearing them to function in the Engine FADO position.

Any candidate, for any reason, may request to only participate in Phase I of the Academy, with the intent of obtaining the Engine FADO clearance only upon successful completion.

Due to the amount of instruction in each session of each Phase of this Academy, attendance is mandatory for all sessions.

If a candidate is already in possession of the MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator certification, they are still expected to complete the MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator course, with a passing grade, as it is a part of the curriculum of this program.

Any candidate unable to achieve a passing score of at least a 70% on the MFRI Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator course, will not be considered as passing the EVDO Academy, and will not be eligible for their Engine FADO clearance, at that time.

BCoFD EVO Driver Academy - Phase II (Truck):

Phase II of the Academy will concentrate on the Truck FADO portion of the program. Candidates will be given instruction of the MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver Operator course in full, along with the skills, techniques, and evolutions, specific to the Baltimore County Fire Department’s Truck FADO Turn In evaluation.

Phase II of the Academy will run every Monday and Friday from 0800 hours to 1600 hours, in a mirrored fashion, over consecutive weeks. All practical instruction will take place, and utilize the Fire-Rescue Academy compound.

Once a candidate has successfully completed the MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver Operator course, with at least a grade of 70%, and successfully completed the In-Station Training Packet, and all of the Truck FADO Skill Card evaluations, the EVO Driver Program Manager will issue a Truck FADO clearance letter, clearing the them to function in the Truck FADO position.

Due to the amount of instruction in each session of each Phase of this Academy, attendance is mandatory for all sessions.

Any candidate, for any reason, may request to only participate in Phase II of the Academy, with the intent of obtaining the Truck FADO clearance only upon successful completion.

If a candidate is already in possession of the MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver Operator certification, they are still expected to complete the MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver Operator course, with a passing grade, as it is a part of the curriculum of this program.

Any candidate unable to achieve a passing score of at least a 70% on the MFRI Aerial Apparatus Driver Operator course, will not be considered as passing the EVDO Academy, and will not be eligible for their Truck FADO clearance, at that time.

How to register for the EVDO Academy

Registration for this Academy will open twice per year, once in the Spring, and once in the Fall.

Once announced and opened, the registration will remain active until approximately two (2) weeks prior to the start date of Phase I – Engine, at which time the registration will close for both phases.

During open registration periods, interested candidates should utilize the following link to submit their registration:

https://baltimorecountyfra.org/inferno/training-classes/

In addition to completing the registration form linked above, candidates will also need to complete the following letter of endorsement documents with their Station Officer and their respective Deputy or Battalion Chief:

Station Officer Letter of Endorsement
Deputy or Battalion Chief Letter of Endorsement

The final step in the registration process will be to email the following documents to fireacademytraining@baltimorecountymd.gov:

• Completed Deputy / Battalion Chief endorsement letter
• Completed station Officer endorsement letter
• Copy of the candidate’s MSFPQRB Fire Fighter II certification
• Copy of the candidate’s state issued driver’s license (front and back)
• Copy of the candidate’s EVO Red Card (front and back) (if applicable)

Once the registration process closes, applicants will be seated by seniority in the department, and notified via email of their status in the Academy, approximately one (1) week prior to the first session of Phase I – Engine beginning.