TIME TO FINE-TUNE TRAINING
BY JOHN R. DUNCAN
The public has a legitimate expectation that firefighters perform competently in stressful, unpredictable, and dangerous situations. Yet, today the preponderance of the firefighter`s work does not involve such situations. How does a department prepare its people for such highly critical but infrequently performed tasks?
Fire/emergency medical services (EMS) agencies across the nation have taken a beating in civil rights lawsuits filed against them. Very few have been filed by members of the public alleging incompetence, slow response time, or reckless driving; they have been instituted by members of their own departments alleging sexual harassment or discrimination. How can a fire department ward off such claims before they occur?
The answer to both of these questions is specific interactive training, especially in those areas of immediate concern such as cultural sensitivity issues, new and unusual rescue operations, and the latest technology in emergency medical care.
Although it is important to maintain the continuous educational units (CEU) required to keep certificates and licenses current, it is equally as important to identify those areas where knowledge and skills are lacking and to train accordingly. The training needed in today`s fire/EMS departments should effectively address the knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits related to success, including leadership, decision making, and interpersonal skills.
EFFECTIVE TRAINING
The result of a weak or poorly equipped training department is a poorly designed or mismanaged training session. Some commonly made errors that contribute to an ineffective training session include the following:
the poor selection and training of the trainer;
the use of generic exercises that have been designed for one organization and are forced to fit into another (we all too often have seen the same outdated videotapes with the same actors used in the first “Starsky and Hutch” episode);
the overuse of certain exercises, particularly those that are convenient for the trainer to design and administer; and
a lack of respect for the trainer and train-ees.
The insufficiency of today`s training will contribute to tomorrow`s disaster for your department and community. It is time we fine-tuned our efforts to train in our departments. We must redirect our focus from traditional development inputs (classes, hours, and so forth) to outputs (performance at individual and organizational levels). In the survey of training professionals conducted at the American Society for Training and Development`s (ASTD) 1996 International Conference, almost 89 percent “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that a shift from training to performance improvement is one of the most important trends in the field.
STEPS TO FINE-TUNING TRAINING
One approach to fine-tuning your training is to follow three basic, yet important, steps:
Gather support from top management. It is important to have support throughout the organization, from the most senior level of management to the immediate supervisor to the trainers themselves. This across-the-board support makes it clear that program design is not exclusively left to the trainer. The timely involvement and support of all relevant parties result in better programs with increased prospects for success. With more people involved, the more fine-tuned and focused the training will be.
With the support from management, the trainer should carefully consider the audience. The trainer must create an environment in which learning is fostered; this includes consideration of the physical facility itself. Too often, training occurs in the “living quarters” of the fire station, and participants become too relaxed or distracted by their surroundings. To enhance the learning experience, consider a meeting facility apart from your organization, free from distractions. In most agencies, the “call-load” of the department may impair the ability to take the training elsewhere. It is best to get management`s approval before conducting the training so that the shift can be covered during the training session.
Carefully plan the needed (specific) training. In planning, the trainer must consider that learning is driven by the need to perform and must plan the training exercises with this in mind. If the class members sense that the training is not relevant (or at least it is not perceived to be), they will tune out the trainer.
To make learning meaningful, the learner must recognize the need to perform the skill being taught. This can be accomplished by using the most recent incidents or events (i.e., extrication of patients from an automobile accident or examples of other agencies` response to sexual harassment suits) and incorporating them into the training.
Implement the session. After the support is obtained and the planning is refined, the training can be implemented. Keep in mind that the student should be an active participant in the learning process. Although that may sound obvious, it is often forgotten, and many departments stick to their own agenda. The passive atmosphere of a lecture in a seminar room does not engage the learner to integrate skills required for our job.
Lecturing has its place, but months after the training session is over when a critical incident occurs, the firefighter or emergency care provider will not be relying on lecture notes. The practical training in which the learner was involved will be what counts. The training manager should use training techniques that build how-to skills that are highly relevant and immediately applicable. Research indicates that people act themselves into a new way of thinking rather than think themselves into a new way of acting. Allow the participants to have hands-on application in the process.
Recently our department requested hands-on training in using our truck`s extrication tools. Management supported the proposal, and the training division acquired some junk cars to use in the session. In addition, the Walt Disney World Company donated one of its buses that was soon to be “retired.” Units from a nearby district covered our area of response to allow us a full day of training. During the very next shift, we were called to use our freshly polished skills.
Make sure when implementing the training that the process follows your departmental policies and guidelines. For example, in a well-planned defense against sexual harassment in the workplace, education and training should include conveying to the class a complete explanation of the department`s harassment policy and a clear understanding of what is considered to be sexual harassment under the law. Education and training must be combined with a written policy that defines sexual harassment in clear, understandable terms and that states unequivocally that these acts will not be tolerated.
Every fire department has a fundamental responsibility to create an environment of continuous learning and development. However, it is up to the individual employees to take ownership of their career development. Above-average emergency care providers have these characteristics: They take responsibility for themselves; they are enterprising, determined, and persistent; and they do not sit around waiting to be helped.
Take the initiative. Begin by taking an active role in your department`s training. Volunteer suggestions for training in the areas that you feel to be the weakest. You can follow the same steps as your training captain or division manager: Gather support from your supervisor to conduct a training session; plan the tools you will use and the procedure you will follow to execute the training; and finally, implement the session. Do not procrastinate or wait on others. Use your department`s training division`s valuable resources to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities that will pay great dividends throughout your career.
JOHN R. DUNCAN, a 12-year veteran of the fire service, is a member of Reedy Creek Emergency Services in Buena Vista, Florida, which provides emergency services for the Walt Disney World Company, and a consultant in performance audits and risk management analysis with Wilton and Chester in Winter Park, Florida. He has a master`s degree in human resource management.
