Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
Each occupancy type presents specific hazards to firefighters. Officers and firefighters need to “profile” each occupancy they respond to knowing specific hazards that are present. Hazards that should be considered are specific types of fuels present, types of construction materials, entrapment hazards, confusing interior arrangements, or other critical factors.
If your fire department or community does not have the types of structures mentioned in this week’s firefighter training drill, then consider anywhere you may respond as part of a mutual or automatic aid response. Discuss this as a crew exercise and assign specific addresses to each type or individual occupancy names as part of your drill.
Download this week’s firefighter training drill as a PDF HERE.
Looking for more firefighter training ideas? See all of Forest’s drills, or consult our comprehensive archive of online training drills.
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Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1978 and retired as fire chief of the Tinley Park (IL) Fire Department in 2021. He has worked extensively in the areas of instruction, firefighter safety, and officer development and earned his Master of Science Degree in Public Safety Administration in 2004. He is the author of Fire Department Incident Safety Officer 4th edition (2025) and co-author of Fire Service Instructor Principles and Practices, now in its 3rd edition. Forest presents nationally on fire service leadership, safety, and instructor development. He was inducted into the Moraine Valley Community College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2020 and awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award in 2021. In 2008, he received the ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year, considered to be the highest recognition for fire service instructors in the nation.
