By Jake Rhoades
In case you haven’t heard, the fire service is changing. It is more demanding than ever given the amount of new responsibilities, the increased level of service we are striving to achieve, the liabilities that seem to lie around every corner, fewer resources, and a more educated and demanding community–including city leadership–that expects more and more for less and less. There have also been changes in data and information technology, performance measurements, and the science that affects decision making as well as strategy and tactics during emergency incidents.
Change is here, and although the fire service has a tendency not to accept change very well, many leaders across the country are not only embracing these factors but also taking their departments and their level of service to new heights. However, the sad reality is that many departments are not making the necessary adjustments for successful outcomes in emergency response, let alone their departments’ training programs.
If a department’s emergency response is less than what is desired, it is probably a reflection of a substandard or, even worse, a nonexistent training program. The better personnel are trained, the more effective; efficient; and, most importantly, safer they will perform during emergency response. Unfortunately, not every department, its leaders, or its personnel have this opinion.
During this evolution in the fire service, some departments continue to train like the fire service of 20 or 30 years ago. In many organizations, the “this is the way we have always done it” mentality is overarching and being passed down through the generations. However, there is hope, and it begins with a comprehensive, well-balanced training program that meets the needs of every person in the agency. Many individuals as well as department training programs across the country “get it.” We can all learn from these programs and use their elements within our department, regardless of size or type, and improve the training and safety of our personnel to increase the capabilities of the department.
Unfortunately, with change comes resistance. Resistance to training is common; many view training as an unpleasant but necessary evil. There are varying opinions–from firefighters to chiefs–on how to conduct training, how often, and by whom and if it is not “their” way, then it is wrong and they will dig in their heels and resist (and perhaps even refuse) to train. Sadly, many departments struggle not only with these obstacles but also with an array of issues that prohibit them from achieving the necessary training. Time management is one of the most significant obstacles that departments must overcome to ensure training occurs regularly and meets all members’ needs.
A firefighter’s day is filled with ancillary duties such as apparatus maintenance, business inspections, station cleaning, hydrant testing, administrative functions, and emergency response. But, with all of these responsibilities comes training, which must still occur daily with proper planning. Developing an annual training or other action plan accounts for all of a department’s responsibilities and ensures preparation, delivery, and scheduling in advance so that everyone knows what will occur and when.
Just like you would an appointment on a calendar, schedule training with all of the other ancillary duties so the firefighters and company officers know what to expect and when to expect it. These plans can have built-in flexibility for emergency response, but otherwise they are carried out as scheduled. This allows officers to plan accordingly so that other duties can be accomplished, preplanning can be completed, and station-level training that the company officer wants to complete can still occur.
The annual training plan also addresses the issue of balance. With departments across the country increasing their level of service and taking on additional responsibilities, the training plan must be reflective. Responding to a variety of emergencies requires training to prepare personnel regardless of their response level and to respond at the expected level when the emergency occurs. Using the annual training plan to identify all of the training requirements that your department is required to complete or self-impose and scheduling throughout the course of the year ensure balance. This approach can balance all of the ancillary duties with training to ensure that topics receive the attention they deserve.
Also, your department must identify such an officer development plan while introducing new training programs to ensure personnel are maintaining their training competency in current disciplines. Identifying training topics and balancing them within the annual training plan also ensures that the training program matches and enforces the department’s established mission.
Departments across the country use strategic plans to establish their future plans as well as the level of the service they want to deliver to their communities. A department’s training should match the established mission but, in some cases, there is a disconnect between training and the mission. Similar to establishing a mission for a department, the training program should answer questions such as the following: Who are we? Why do we exist? What do we do? Why do we do it? Whom do we do it for? Training programs should enforce current knowledge and prepare personnel for the responses that they make but also prepare them for new initiatives and changes being introduced into the fire service.
As departments take on new levels of service, especially in low-frequency/high-risk disciplines, training programs must not only prepare personnel for their roles during response but also provide experience for individuals and the decision making they must be prepared to exercise. Regardless of the call type, all personnel have an on-scene role that should be established and practiced so personnel have the knowledge, ability, and necessary confidence to operate when the bells go off. Communication and adherence to the department’s mission ensure that a training program meets the needs of the department, its members, and the community.
Some departments encounter the obstacle of culture in association with the training program. Culture can stand in the way of a training program’s success and the department’s productivity by reducing buy-in and increasing resistance from firefighters, company officers, and chief officers. Resistance to training from suppression personnel is nothing new. However, it can be overcome through a couple of simple methods. Establishing a training committee can increase buy-in; the committee can also use a cross-section of department members to allow input to ensure that the program is addressing department members’ needs.
A training committee can have input on the development of annual training plan topics as well as deliver established topics to members. Establishing and delivering training through department personnel demonstrate support for the training program and, often, the subject matter expert within the department who delivers the training. Delivery will be enhanced through the subject matter expert’s experience and knowledge of a given topic.
The training committee can address the topic of resistance from department personnel, but what about resistance from chief officers or, even worse, the chief? This may be one of the most difficult obstacles a department can face. Chief officers resisting, standing in the way of, or denying methods taught in training that are to be applied in the field can debilitate a training program; decrease its level of service; and, worse, deflate department morale.
Often, you can overcome resistance from ranking personnel through education and soliciting input on program outcomes and concerns. Chief officers resist this new training because it is unfamiliar to them; they do not have confidence in the outcomes that the training would produce on the fireground–or it is “not the way they have always done it.” The science and technology being introduced into the fireground is a good example. Much of this training contradicts their upbringing in the fire service and, as we all know, change is difficult for some to accept, especially when techniques and methods have apparently worked over the course of an individual’s career. The concept that streams cannot push fire is incomprehensible to many, regardless of the science that supports this concept. Education, participation of chief officers, and constant reinforcement will inevitably slow down new initiatives in the training program, but they are necessary to ensure long-term success of the training program and enhanced efficiency and effectiveness during emergency response.
Today’s fire service is evolving. Considering all of the unknowns, training is the one thing that we can control. All departments face obstacles in their training program, but the obstacles can be overcome. Departments must solve these issues using different methods, and they need to avoid “cookie-cutter” solutions because one size does not fit all. What works in one department may not necessarily work in another because of the varying degrees of challenges; personalities; and, most important, the culture. However, this can be done; many departments around the country have enviable training programs and are continuing to improve and meet the needs of their members on all fronts. Training programs that are dynamic and evolve make the difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency service delivery in a community–and most important, a training program can make the difference between life and death for firefighters.
JAKE RHOADES is a 22-year fire service veteran and chief of the Kingman (AZ) Fire Department. Rhoades serves on the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Safety, Health and Survival Board of Directors and the National Fire Protection Association technical committee for professional qualifications. He has a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University and a master’s degree in executive fire service leadership and has completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. Rhoades was recognized by the Commission of Public Safety Excellence as a chief fire officer designee, a chief medical officer designee, and a chief training officer designee. He serves as a training consultant for WHP Training Towers and is an adjunct faculty member for Columbia Southern University.
Jake Rhoades will present “Developing a Training Program for Today’s Fire Service” on Monday, April 20, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., at FDIC 2015 in Indianapolis.
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