Each year we come to that time when a training officer is tasked with figuring out what in the world your fire department needs to train on for the next year. One would think this should be an easy job. There are a myriad of things that can be used as a basis for training. The real problem for us involves balancing training on what we already do regularly on calls with what we should train on because we don't get a lot of certain types of calls, with what is mandatory training.

For my department we get called to a lot of automobile wrecks; many involving entrapment. Our next highest call volume tends to be grass and farm field fires. We do get called to a fair number of structure fires, but often times they are agricultural out buildings and hog confinements that are already well involved by the time we are paged. So sometimes, convincing our members that training on skills related to interior structure fires is a necessity is difficult. I have heard questions regarding why we need to train on May Day, Search and Rescue, Vertical Ventilation, etc. at times while I have been training officer.

I can to some extent understand these questions considering the limited number of interior attacks we make, but my response is always, we need to train more on those things we don't do as often because our skills are not going to be a sharp.

So with all of this in mind I set about putting together a training schedule. Now here's one other detail. We are required to have at least 24 hours of training per year by Iowa law. I realize all departments, states, districts are different, but in Iowa it's 24 hours. Several of us in my department get well over the 24 by going to fire school, or other out of department training, which I try to encourage all of my firefighters to go to, but many don't. We have 11 training nights a year. Basically one a month except for December. Generally attendees get credit for at least 2 hours and many nights it's 2 - 3 hours. So if our firefighters attend all the training nights they are guaranteed their 24 hours. You would think that it would be easy enough as our training nights rarely change, but with all the other commitments that volunteers have, it can still be hard to get guys there. So we have to make the best of what we do at training with the intent of getting people interested and also getting them skills and knowledge that will benefit the entire department.

Some of the more important areas of training for us is SCBA use and confidence, driving and pumping, extrication, use of the many tools we have. We tend to focus a lot on driving, pumping and tool use. We do a lot of extrication in real situation, so we may have one extrication training a year. We do manage to incorporate at least one big training a year which might include a burn trailer, search and rescue in a house or trainer, and if we are lucky, every once in a while we might get to do a live burn in an acquired structure. Guys love the big training most of the time. The little trainings are often even more of a hit because they are short so we can do several evolutions, or combine two or more skills specifically. That is the reason that as often as possible I try to incorporate the basic skills of firefighting. Sometimes it's necessary to use a PowerPoint presentation, but I try to keep these to a minimum because no one really likes sitting through one of these, and lets face it, few of us are dynamic enough speakers to make these really interesting.

Some areas that are good to consider are:

• Ropes and Knots - Tying and uses
• Ladders - Carry, placement, raise and safety 
• Salvage and Overhaul - Use of covers, efficient ways to do overhaul, ways to limit damage
• Fire Investigation - Cause, Evidence, Chain of Custody
• Equipment Checking - The proper way to effectively check your equipment for damage
• Equipment Use - Safe use, safe carrying, safe raising and lowering of equipment
• Addresses - Finding addresses in your coverage area
• Use of Mutual Aid - What to call for in certain circumstances, how to manage mutual aid
• Pre-Planning - Pre-planning business, schools, larger industries and employers, even pre-planning whole blocks such as your downtown area
• Donning and Doffing - Practicing putting on and taking off PPE (Bunker gear, SCBA, etc.)
• Truck Placement - Truck placement at fire and rescue scenes

These are just a small list of areas to consider working on when you are making up your annual training schedule. My suggestion is to look at what your department does most, what it does best, what it does least and what it might have the most trouble with and use this evaluation as the starting basis for making your annual training schedule. As your firefighters and officers too. If you can add a special training here and there that is out of the ordinary flow of things it can serve to bring some more interest to your annual training flow. 

Here's hoping that your 2016 training is safe, and brings increased skills and maybe some new knowledge to your firefighters. 

My Fire Service History

I could start by telling you how I always wanted to be a firefighter. I could tell you how I grew up always wondering what it would be like to go into a burning building and rescue people from fires or accidents. I could tell you how I had other firefighters in my family that I looked up to and who encouraged me to be a firefighter. I could do that but none of that would be true. 

Sure as a child I thought now and then how cool it would be to ride on a fire truck. When I was really young, maybe around 4 years old, our garage caught on fire while my dad was welding a trailer hitch onto my grandpas new Cadillac. The fire department came and put out the fire. People said you could see the smoke from miles away. My Aunt drove in from a town about 10 miles from us because she could see the smoke. I am sure it was exciting and scary, but I was only 4 and really only remember a little bit about the fire. I remember the garage burning, I remember the red fire trucks and hoses hooked to fire hydrants, and people on our street that ended in a circle standing around watching the firemen do their work. I don't remember thinking, wow, I want to be a fireman. 

Like I said, as I grew up, being a firefighter was not something that was of great interest to me. I am sure that once or twice when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I might have said firefighter, but more likely I said architect or race car driver. I never set my sights on firefighting. I didn't go to college to be a firefighter and I didn't even know what a person had to do to become a firefighter. 

After college I started working in the field of social services. In 1995 I was working at a facility for persons with mental illness. It was one of those old county homes that was being converted into a more modern facility with double occupant rooms instead of wards, and more disability friendly amenities. 

One of the contractors at the time was the chief of the Wapello County Rural Fire Department. He would come in and tell us about the calls they had the night before. I became very interested in what they were doing and decided to join the fire department. 

Once I was on as a probationary firefighter they started me in classes to learn the ropes. These were basic firefighter I courses taught in house. I did not become a certified firefighter until several years later. 

 Two of the first major fires I responded to were a triple fatallity and a church fire. I was young and didn't know really how dangerous this business could be. I had not been exposed to reports of firefighter injuries or deaths. I knew fire was bad, but I didn't really understand what other dangers were involved in fighting fire or responding to emergencies of any kind. We were a fairly busy department back then, but we only did fire and rescue, no EMS respnses. I got to see a lot of fire in those days. 

After a few years with Wapello County my now wife and I moved to the small town of Shafer, Minnesota where I joined the local volunteer department. In two years there I made two or three calls. We trained monthly and I continued to learn how to be a firefighter. 

From Minnesota we moved back to Coralville, Iowa. It was there that I got my first taste of what "big city" fire fighting was like. I completed my firefighter I certification and became an EMT. I also realised while I was there just how big a gap there can be between what older and newer members of a volunteer department think. It's good to have a perspective of seasoned veterans, and its good to have a view from newer guys who might have new ideas. Unfortunately those don't always mesh. It was at this point that I began to realize that I wanted to be a fire trainer. However, becoming an instructor would not happen until I joined my current department. 

Prior to joining Wellman Volunteer Fire Department, we moved to Clarence, Iowa. It was there that I first became an officer. I was appointed by the chief to be the training officer. I took this very seriously. Maybe a little too much so to start, but I quickly learned how to approach training and get guys interested. It takes a lot of thought and time to put together a training program that will keep firefighters involved and interested. I did my research, and I still do a lot of reading and going to trainings to learn skills I can bring back to my department. 

My time in Clarence prepared me to be a training officer and once I joined the department here in Wellman, I took the course necessary to become a certified fire serrvice instructor. I am glad I did. I learned more about how to manage training, how to keep guys interested, and the rules that need to be followed. It made me want to be a better trainer and it helped me realize how much more important training is when your department doesn't have a huge call volume. On my current department we average around 55 calls a year. That may not sound like a lot, but we respond to the same kinds of call every department does, and we still have to be ready, properly trained and able to perform the duties just like we did in Wapello County or Coralville where I saw much larger call volume. 

Bottom line is we all respond to calls at the most inopportune times and we never really know what we are getting into until we get there, so we all need to trained as well as possible. 

Finally, when I joined the fire service I had no idea I would still be doing this as a volunteer 20 years later. I do it because I love it. I do it because if I don't its possible others won't either, as its getting harder and harder to find younger guys and gals who want to put in the time. Hopefully I will be able to continue being a firefighter and teaching others for many years to come. 

I also hope that I will be able to impart some wisdom and useful information through this blog. Thank you for taking the time to read what I have written and I hope you will come back.

~Rob