As Firehouse Sees It: Picking Up Where We Left Off

Despite the challenges that fire departments faced over the past year when it came to training, the depth of online training this year skyrocketed, and new offerings seem to appear each week. I understand that online training doesn’t replace time on the training ground or at acquired structures, but don’t treat online training as an individual effort. Engage your crew to take the classes from your computers and tablets and to turn them into skill-building training opportunities that can be completed on the apparatus floor, apron or training grounds. 

When we ran Firehouse Expo Direct last month, the engagement was incredible. The chat window was filled with ideas that were local to attendees’ departments, with alternative techniques and with skills that were being shared by firefighters from all over. It was wonderful to watch attendees use the capability of the event to share links and videos and to add information during the individual sessions. The pandemic didn’t put a damper on the interaction and information-sharing that we enjoy hearing at Firehouse Expo. Being able to bring our talented instructors directly to you was an exciting opportunity, and we are grateful to those who took advantage of the opportunity. You still can attend Firehouse Expo Direct; just register at FirehouseExpo.com.

If your department uses an online learning management system, check with the vendor to ensure that you have access to the classes that it offers as part of its suite. Classes range from the basic, annual refresher programs to multi-hour sessions on incident command, tactics and rescue techniques. In addition, make sure that you check out these practical online training programs:

• Fire Hero Learning Network, from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: fireherolearningnetwork.com
• National Fire Academy Online: usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/courses/online.html
• Responder Safety Learning Network: learning.respondersafety.com
• UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute’s Fire Safety Academy: training.ulfirefightersafety.org

After I wrote my column for the January 2020 issue, “Reflecting on Lessons Found in Rookie and Job Books,” (firehouse.com/21117851) readers shared their stories about their personal logbooks. Some kept their rookie books and shared them with new firefighters who came on 20 years afterward to compare what changed over the years. Those who keep job books explained how 2020 added some new areas, including pandemic notes or tidbits about working with out-of-state resources for the first time.

If you had firefighters begin their journey through or graduate from a fire academy since last spring, I encourage you to strike up a conversation with them to learn where they could benefit from some additional guidance. From a few conversations over the past seven or eight months, departments were graduating classes that were ready to hit the streets, but often allotted times for hands-on evolutions were cut short because of social distancing or academy closures. Instead of starting a saw 75 times or moving a charged 2½-inch hoseline 200 times, the numbers were reduced. There is a reason why each recruit is assigned significant hands-on time with the equipment: to create that muscle memory and make it part of that individual’s routine. Missing out on that critical training early on can decrease your crew’s ability to complete each mission on the fireground.

Archilochus, who was a Greek poet and soldier, wrote a fitting line for this time: “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Whether you are a two-year firefighter or a 25-year captain, please get with the rookies to determine drills that your crews can run together and build the cohesion that the entire crew requires to be proficient.

Valor & Community Service Awards Nominations Being Accepted

The nomination period for the 2020 Firehouse Valor & Community Service Awards is open. Nominations for the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor are being accepted for incidents that occurred between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020. Those awards are for actions that were completed by a single member, a pair or an entire crew. We also are seeking nominations for the Thomas Carr Community Service Award, which honors those who work tirelessly to keep their communities safe, oftentimes before the fire or accident, through outreach and education. Please take the time to nominate your members for these national awards. You can find the details here: firehouse.com/valor-awards.