Training

As I’ve stated numerous times, I’m a huge proponent of training.  Aside from actually performing the job(in the proper manner), training is the next best way to  become good at the job.  One of the great things about the fire service is that there is always something to learn and nobody will ever know everything.  With that said, training should be continuous through your fire service career regardless of your length of service or rank.  There’s an old adage that my father preached to me soon after I joined the fire service, “the day you stop learning is the day you need to hang it up”.  Now, I’m not telling anybody they need to “hang it up” or quit the fire service, but I think the message speaks for itself.  The day you allow complacency to set in, you become a danger to yourself and to everyone you come into contact with via the job.  However, attending all of the training in the world will be purposeless if the end user doesn’t use, and retain, the skills and information gained from the training.

So you went out and attended training?  Excellent.  However, that’s only part of the equation.  I know many folks who have taken tons of classes and attended a lot of training, but struggle to perform our basic job duties such as stretching hoselines, deploying portable ladders, or forcing doors.  On that same note, I know many folks who have attended training on technical aspects of our job for no apparent reason other than to say they attended the training.  The moment the training is over, the skills and information are no longer on their priority list.  Why would you waste your time, and the instructor’s, if you have no interest in retaining the skills and information? 

The purpose of training is to increase the proficiency level of our job duties.  Simply put, it’s to be better at what we do.  Training should occur on any skills, or information, used to carry out our job duties.  Failure to retain the skills and information will result in negative consequences.  On the low end of the consequence scale, you may look foolish and your pride will be hurt.  On the high end of the consequence scale, you may get yourself, or someone else, injured or killed.  Hopefully nobody operates with the intention of performing their job duties subpar, but it happens.  In many instances it happens due to a lack of training, or a lack of retention of training received.

Through my fire service career, I have seen too members of the fire service who fail to retain skills or information they gained through training.  In most instances this can be attributed to laziness, complacency, lack of focus, lack of initiative, or lack of pride.  Folks who strive to be good firefighters do not display these traits or behaviors.  It’s often those who are comfortable doing the bare minimum, those who do not want to be taken out of their comfort zone, or those who enjoy “talking the talk” but don’t “walk the walk”.  If you’re reading this, you probably don’t fall into any of those categories.  However, you probably know folks who do.  Before giving up on these folks, we owe it to them to reach out and attempt to make them better.  Ultimately, a change must come from within themselves, however you may be able to serve as a catalyst for the change.

So how do we retain the skills and information gained through training?  We practice pyscomotor until they become second nature and can be performed at any time, in any condition.  Depending on the skill, this may take hours or it may take months.  Regardless, motivation and focus must be maintained to achieve maximum operational readiness.  Some of these skills require the whole company to drill and some only require one motivated individual.  Some examples of psycomotor skills that a motivated individual can practice are: donning your PPE as if you’re at the front door of the fire building, setting anchors and constructing rope systems, hooking up to a hydrant, or assembling the grip hoist or high pressure air bag system.  Some pyscomotor skills that a motivated company can practice are: deploying and repacking hoselines, deploying portable ladders, packaging a downed firefighter, stabilizing side or roof resting vehicles, constructing a movable control point rope system for a boat, or performing a pick-off.  The skills your company is responsible to carry out should be practiced until they are mastered, and then some.  Just because you performed a skill once in a brightly lit, 75 degree firehouse bay, doesn’t mean you will perform the skill proficiently at 0200 hrs. on a rainy hillside.  Regularly performing these pyscomotor skills will give you the best chance of retaining the skills.  Sometimes it just takes one motivated member to get the ball rolling for your whole company.  That member could be you.

Information, or cognitive, retention can also be performed by the individual or company.  Companies or individuals can do street drills, review tool specifications, review operational procedural manuals, or calculate hydraulics equations.  These are just a few of the informational items gained through training that need to be retained.  The job duties your company performs will dictate what information needs to be retained.  Information retention can take place during any downtime and does not require many resources.  Generally, a brain and an information source are all that’s required.  With that said, this is an area where folks usually struggle.  I believe the struggles are because folks would rather sit around, watch TV, talk about non-fire service related items, or conduct other activities.  I’m not trying to say that 100% of your time needs to be spent doing fire service training, that’s unrealistic and not healthy.  However, at least put forth some effort to make yourself the best you can be and make the most of the training you receive.

Our days are becoming busier and many fire departments are providing additional services.  These factors reinforce the fact that the fire service needs motivated and focused members to ensure training is occurring and to ensure folks are retaining the skills and information they were taught.  You, and your company, are responsible for proficiency in all areas of service that you provide.  If there are areas you’re weak on, put forth effort to overcome the weakness.  Attending training is good, but it’s only half the battle.  Receiving the training, using the training, and retaining the training will likely make you a more efficient and effective firefighter.

On the topic of training, I’m going to a heavy vehicle extrication class for the next 3 days so my next post probably will not occur until after the class.