The need for continuing education has been a topic discussed at conferences and written about in articles for the last 10 years or so, but after a conversation with a friend who was recently promoted, it sparked a dialogue that I’ve heard over and over in the last few months.
My friend was promoted to lieutenant after 12 years as a firefighter in a larger department, and he’s worked in busy companies most of that time. He is dedicated to the job, hungry for training and has a desire to learn, which is evidenced by the fact that he attends conferences and reads all the fire service magazines, websites and reports.
He said the transition was going well, but when I asked about his biggest takeaway from the officer training program, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “We don’t have any training for officers. I moved up to the front seat the shift after I was promoted.” That’s it? No lessons on leading crews, no tips on tackling personnel issues, no command simulations? His answer was a simple, “Nope.”
A few weeks later, we engaged in a conversation about the places we’ve both lived and what we’ve seen with entry-level education. When it comes to the basic tenants of firefighting, there are many scenarios that impact the time between basic training and the opportunity to apply those skills. In some career departments, firefighters can spend the first two, five or even 10 years of their career on the ambulance, with only the occasional shift assigned to a suppression company. While they might get in on some of the action at incidents or company drills, are they going to remember the little details that make a successful fireground? There are also those who serve in the military who are away from the line for a year or two while on deployment, and firefighters who are out long-term recovering from an injury. On the volunteer side, a leave of absence might occur when a firefighter takes a new job or has changes in their family. How do they stay sharp during the absence?
I know of a few departments that will put firefighters through a series of skill stations or written exams to determine if they need to retake training, but is that common across the country? Also, during those situations, department policies and procedures can change, new equipment is added to the toolbox, and the types of incidents fire departments are called out to mitigate can grow.
Chiefs need to make sure that their firefighters, whether assigned to the ambulance or away from the station for an extended period, are up to date on protocols that could create confusion the next time they go on a response. Training officers or company officers will also share this responsibility, but this direction needs to come from the top where a retraining policy is put into place.
Returning to the need for basic and introductory company officer training, departments are losing members in record numbers as baby boomers hang up their helmets. This creates vacancies in officer positions that are ultimately filled by more inexperienced members, due to the number of fires being down. Some departments provide new officer training, but many do not, and it is because of budget cuts, increasing run numbers, or the lack of a program that is in place. It’s critical for the future of the department to find the means to provide those skills to all officers.
When we sat down to plan this year’s Firehouse Expo, one of the comments echoed throughout the meeting was the need to train and educate today’s fire officers. That’s one of our goals—to offer a wealth of full-day, half-day and traditional sessions to help aspiring and new fire officers become great leaders, solid fireground commanders, and bosses who are invested in their crew. Stay tuned to FirehouseExpo.com as we release sessions in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, be sure to read Marc Davidson’s “Establishing a Continuum of Training” article on page 46. Davidson hits the nail on the head with this article, and members of all levels should take note of the critical elements that are missing from their department’s training, whether it’s for rookies, those who have been off the line for an extended period of time, or newly appointed leaders.
