We often think of training as those times when we are sitting in a classroom or gathered as a group to conduct some type of evolution. While these formal concepts are often great trainings, they are not the foundation upon which success is built. The company level needs-based training is truly the blocks upon which a company will find success or failure when it comes to the emergency scene.
Company training should start with a company needs assessment; a simple tool that the company officer can use to determine the current status of his or her crew’s knowledge, skills and abilities. While not formalized, this idea occurs on every alarm. Upon completion of the alarm, the company officer reviews the call noting what went correctly vs incorrectly and addresses those concerns through some form of training (talk, drill or other tool), to ensure that those gaps in performance are not seen on the next alarm. In addition, the company officer might note gaps in training areas, such as technical rescue or EMS, which are normally established during conversations or performance reviews, or during a station transfer when a new member is assigned to the company. Another noted needs assessment is a lack of activity or response. Again, the company officer notes the need to act when a certain situation has not occurred, for example, a first due fire for several weeks. The company officer should note that certain skill sets need to be addressed to remain vigilant with the expectation of high performance.
Upon completion of the needs assessment the company officer should address these needs through training. Again, this does not require formal training or a drawn-out event; a fifteen-minute training session would suffice. The training should be based off of organizational policies, procedures, guidelines and/or NFPA standards. The training should have one to two objectives that are identified and directly address the need identified. For example, the needs assessment highlighted that a firefighter was unable to tie a figure-eight with a bight on an alarm; the training session to follow would include: each firefighter be given 10-feet of rope and instructed to tie a figure-eight with a bight in under two minutes. The objective meets the need, which is critical to ensure improved performance.
Plan the training out and make it known to your crew that it is a learning opportunity, meaning that failure is okay in this environment; however, work will continue until mastery is met. This is important to note as no one likes to fail and if you are able to learn from the training, then it was not a failure. Also, note that training does not have to be restricted to the confines of the fire station. If you are working an alarm, the scene is mitigated and you note an opportunity to learn execute on it and improve your company. The example here is that of a vehicle rescue: the patient has been extricated and is in care of medical personnel, take the opportunity to review the car, techniques and tools with your company. The need might simply be the lack of opportunity to use tools on cars during training and real-world events. The objective is to identify the unique safety features of that automobile and cut zones on that specific model. Again, this does not have to be a formal process and can be done on the fly given unique opportunities.
Upon completion of the training it is necessary to evaluate. Evaluation is an often-lost part of training; however, a key component to determine if said training had any effect, both positive or negative. At the company level the evaluation will be improved performance, increased knowledge skills and abilities, and alignment of behaviors with the standard. The evaluation tool will let you know if your training is effective or needs to be modified to meet your audience. Evaluation cannot be understated.
Company training is truly the crux of the fire service training model, while it does not get the glitz and glamour of the large battalion or even district wide trainings, it is setting the tone and addressing the true skill sets needed for street level success. Take the opportunity to improve your company and get out and train!
We often think of training as those times when we are sitting in a classroom or gathered as a group to conduct some type of evolution. While these formal concepts are often great trainings, they are not the foundation upon which success is built. The company level needs-based training is truly the blocks upon which a company will find success or failure when it comes to the emergency scene.
Company training should start with a company needs assessment; a simple tool that the company officer can use to determine the current status of his or her crew’s knowledge, skills and abilities. While not formalized, this idea occurs on every alarm. Upon completion of the alarm, the company officer reviews the call noting what went correctly vs incorrectly and addresses those concerns through some form of training (talk, drill or other tool), to ensure that those gaps in performance are not seen on the next alarm. In addition, the company officer might note gaps in training areas, such as technical rescue or EMS, which are normally established during conversations or performance reviews, or during a station transfer when a new member is assigned to the company. Another noted needs assessment is a lack of activity or response. Again, the company officer notes the need to act when a certain situation has not occurred, for example, a first due fire for several weeks. The company officer should note that certain skill sets need to be addressed to remain vigilant with the expectation of high performance.
Upon completion of the needs assessment the company officer should address these needs through training. Again, this does not require formal training or a drawn-out event; a fifteen-minute training session would suffice. The training should be based off of organizational policies, procedures, guidelines and/or NFPA standards. The training should have one to two objectives that are identified and directly address the need identified. For example, the needs assessment highlighted that a firefighter was unable to tie a figure-eight with a bight on an alarm; the training session to follow would include: each firefighter be given 10-feet of rope and instructed to tie a figure-eight with a bight in under two minutes. The objective meets the need, which is critical to ensure improved performance.
Plan the training out and make it known to your crew that it is a learning opportunity, meaning that failure is okay in this environment; however, work will continue until mastery is met. This is important to note as no one likes to fail and if you are able to learn from the training, then it was not a failure. Also, note that training does not have to be restricted to the confines of the fire station. If you are working an alarm, the scene is mitigated and you note an opportunity to learn execute on it and improve your company. The example here is that of a vehicle rescue: the patient has been extricated and is in care of medical personnel, take the opportunity to review the car, techniques and tools with your company. The need might simply be the lack of opportunity to use tools on cars during training and real-world events. The objective is to identify the unique safety features of that automobile and cut zones on that specific model. Again, this does not have to be a formal process and can be done on the fly given unique opportunities.
Upon completion of the training it is necessary to evaluate. Evaluation is an often-lost part of training; however, a key component to determine if said training had any effect, both positive or negative. At the company level the evaluation will be improved performance, increased knowledge skills and abilities, and alignment of behaviors with the standard. The evaluation tool will let you know if your training is effective or needs to be modified to meet your audience. Evaluation cannot be understated.
Company training is truly the crux of the fire service training model, while it does not get the glitz and glamour of the large battalion or even district wide trainings, it is setting the tone and addressing the true skill sets needed for street level success. Take the opportunity to improve your company and get out and train!