FIRE SERVICE TRAINING

Hot Topics
 Purpose of credentialing of EMR’s
 Differences in training requirements between
volunteer’s and career firefighters
 Effects of training and education on safety
 Minimum training and education standards for hiring

1. I think there is a lot of credibility and purpose behind having credentialing

programs in place for people who are going to be responding to emergencies
whether this be for law enforcement, medical emergencies, or fire service
response. To start, having a third-party credential system holds people
accountable that are trying to have at least a minimal basic understanding of
the fundamentals, and which will keep them safe and allow them to do their
jobs effectively. During my sleep Mid-State Technical College, I had to
take several tests that were sent down to the state of Wisconsin for
evaluation to see if I could be credentialed as a fire 1, firefighter 2, motor
pump operator and state one inspector. By having this credentialing system
done we know that people who have obtained these licenses should have a
thorough understanding of the field they are entering. For emergency
medical personnel everyone has to pass a NREMT test, which for some is
the most daunting task in securing an EMS license. While I agree that it's
the questions from the team are rather peculiar it again gives that third party
check to ensure that he really educated the minimum standard operate in
emergency situations.
2. Looking at training differences between Volunteer Fire departments and
full-time career fire departments I think has to look at them as separate
issues within the same industry. having gone through an associate degree
Fire Protection program I will say that the more formal education you have,
the better prepared and more well-rounded firefighter you become. I think
that going beyond just physical skills and focusing on the why we do things
the way we're doing them today is more important than simply being able to
carry out a task without knowing the justification. this is not to say that
knowing how to physically operate machinery or being physically capable of
completing a task isn't important but simply training does not make you an
expert and can oftentimes lead to practicing flawed fundamentals.
a. Career Full-time Fire Departments
i. Obviously full-time career departments will have more ample
opportunity to cover a wider range of training topics in
education because the members are typically there being paid
and being expected to perform training topics multiple times a
week during their shift. Most full-time career departments also
have a designated training officer or chief whose sole
responsibilities for maintaining a high level of training ensuring
that all crews go through the same training and keeping track of
the hours and topics covered. This is an enormous advantage
for full-time departments because the training officer will
delegate some topics to the officers on the shift thus the solitary
responsibility for training people doesn't fall on just one person.
b. Volunteer Fire Departments
i. Having been on a Volunteer Fire Department for over five years
at this point in my career, I will say that being able to
thoroughly cover the plethora of training topics that can be
covered is often hard to achieve when there are only typically a
handful of trainings each month of the year. with this distinct
disadvantage compared to career departments volunteer
departments have to be very selective in the topics in which
they choose to train on during the times in which their members
are dedicating time out of their lives to come to the station. I
think some of the best volunteer departments will often attempt
to incorporate multiple facets of firefighting into one training
night when possible. This allows them to maximize the number
 of topics they can cover while making it realistic and beneficial
to people of different skill levels and different levels within the
department. One example that I remember that stuck with me
was a simulated car fire in which the probies spent time pulling
lines and actually fighting fire while some of the more seasoned
firefighters spent time being the MPO or assuming a command
role. Additionally, the chiefs were able to selectively oversee
individuals during the training and give them tips and tricks to
better incorporate a realistic call. another way Volunteer Fire
departments can compensate with the amount of time and effort
it takes to plan trainings by having a training committee versus
having one chief be responsible for everything. Clearly there
won't be similar hours spent on training compared to a career
department but volunteer departments that are proactive and
efficient with their time can produce well educated and rounded
firefighters that will operate safely and effectively on the fire
grounds.
3. I have heard this line a few times throughout my fire career thus far and I
think it's worth repeating again here. “You can never practice enough; you
can never train enough for a job that can kill you in a moment.” I first heard
this line from my first fire instructor at Mid-State Technical College and it's
truly stuck with me throughout my career as I couldn't agree more with that
statement. being a firefighter is inherently a dangerous job as the number of
risks we take and the conditions in which we must work are often hazardous
and have the potential to become dangerous at a moment's notice even with
safety precautions in place having gone through a formal training of a two
year fire program I definitely feel more confident than some of my
counterparts on the two departments that I currently work for. I feel that my
background education gives me a sense of calm and security knowing what
to expect and having a better understanding of the rationale for why safety
truly needs to be at the forefront of everyone's minds regardless of your
rank. I feel that the more you know and the more you attempt to understand
the safer we can all be. Our goal whether we are career firefighters or
volunteer firefighters is to go home at the end of the call at the end of the
shift, and we can do this best by being educated and having a greater
appreciation for what is happening around us at all times.
4. Different departments obviously have different levels of education and
training to be considered for hiring for several reasons. I have interviewed
for multiple departments all with different variety and ranges of education
and training required in order to be potentially offered a position on their
department. Unfortunately, I think in more recent years such as the 20’s we
are facing a smaller and smaller job market pool. there are fewer and fewer
candidates and with such a constriction of possible applicant’s departments
have had to adjust the way they hire. While maintaining a high level of
standards is important you have to be able to compromise enough to get
people in the door and then accept responsibility for training and educating
those individuals. Historically fire departments were extremely selective
with the individuals in which they picked because they had enormous
amounts of applicants. This is no longer the case and I feel the fire
departments more specifically career departments need to change the way
they look and address recruitment and retention. If people are willing to
apply themselves and be physically present, and mentally prepared; they
should be given every ample opportunity to prove themselves and be given a
chance to show their dedication and commitment to a department. I
understand that my viewpoint won’t be popular for the most part in the fire
service but I think this is going to be another focus over the next several
years as departments are going to have to learn how to adapt in order to keep
on their tradition of supporting the public and protecting the property in
people they are placed in charge of protecting.