Process, Attitude, and Effort: 10 Tips for Creating Engaging Firefighter Training

By Anthony Siedlik

Early in our careers, firefighters realize that we can never learn it all. Believing that no one can know it all, we find mentors and advisors for specific subjects in the fire service. After years of service, we somehow become jaded. A lack of engaging calls, administrative overload, infrequent fires, lack of funding or support, and low morale all contribute to this mindset. Training becomes an inconvenience for some, and the tendency to be the “Salty Seen-It-All” rears its ugly head.

As public service providers, there are many factors beyond our control that have changed the path of our profession. Steven R. Covey discusses this in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, when he touches on The Circle of Influence vs The Circle of Concern. The Circle of Concern contains indirect things that impact us and those items over which we have little to no control. The things we have control over, the items that affect us directly, are included within our “Circle of Influence” and are process, attitude, and effort.

In applying these to the fire service, firefighters should consider the following:

• Process: What is your filter for receiving information?
• Attitude: Do you bring the team down or make a positive contribution to the cause?
• Effort: Do you just go through the motions or avoid participation altogether, or do you bring passion?

 A positive mindset is the foundation for success. As a team, there are no outside factors to stop us. Here are 10 tips for creating engaging training.

1. Instead of saying “I’ve done that a thousand times,” say, “I have a pretty good grasp on this subject, let me give you a few tips.” As the subject matter expert on a particular topic, firefighters should be excited to showcase our skills. The reality is that “I know what I’m doing most often” often translates to “I’m afraid to look bad.” According to some sources, fire numbers are down year over year. Perishable skills and lessons learned are quickly lost when opportunities to use them are few and far between. Nationwide, there is a shortage of interest in public service and none of us are getting any younger. Share your experience with those who don’t have it and are hungry to learn while you can.
2. Instead of saying “This is the way we’ve always done it,” say, “This is how I know how to do it, show me your way.” We should be constantly striving to get the edge on the enemy. Our gear weighs more, fires advance with more speed and heat than ever, and there is technology and data to prove recommended best practices. Efficiency and effectiveness should be at the forefront of our priorities. Is the juice worth the squeeze to update our standard operating procedures or guidelines? The oath we all take says that it is! “Leave it better than you found it!”
3. Instead of saying  “85% of our calls are for medical,” say, “While the focus of our responses is not related to fire, I realize that the vast majority of the danger lies in the least amount of work that we do.” Data suggests that the number of “working fires” responded to are on the decline year after year, yet firefighter line-of-duty deaths and close calls remain. To revisit the idea of fires being fewer and farther between, those little lessons learned are harder to remember, and learning diminishes the farther apart they get. NIOSH likely has minimal reports of crews becoming entrapped on a CPR or a member falling through or off a roof on a diabetic emergency, and it’s probable that no one has activated a rapid intervention team for a stroke/CVA. We must focus on fundamental, perishable firefighting skills to keep them fresh. Remember, seconds add up to minutes and minutes save lives.
4. Instead of saying  “That’ll never happen,”  say, “I know this scenario is unlikely, but what skills have I acquired to overcome this situation should it occur?” When I conduct training, I attempt to replicate the worst-case scenario. When we are prepared for the worst that can happen, it becomes much easier to mitigate a scene. The middle of any incident is not the time to find out what you are and aren’t capable of. If we cannot perform “Plan A” in training, do we expect to be able to “audible” when things change?
5. Instead of saying  “Practice like you play,” say, “Fundamental skills are the foundation for all that we do.” While I believe in going “full pads” on occasion, with the number of reps it takes to master a skill, we would not be able to play in “the game” if we went full speed all the time. I would encourage anyone to listen to Aaron Fields on “The Weekly Scrap: Episode 89” about his thoughts on “practice like you play.” I would find it hard to believe that Peyton Manning or Tom Brady went full pads all the time. Have we thrown as many ladders or stretched as many lines compared to passes thrown by greats like them? Keep in mind that Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Muhamed Ali all shadowboxed in the mirror daily.

Effective and affordable firefighter training solutions:

1. FSRI Free Training: The amount of information available free of charge is difficult to quantify. UL FSRI provides data-backed recommended best practices. Data is also available to see the effects of poor choices made on the fireground.
2. Med runs (size-up, structure layout, roof access, hose estimations): Given the number of medical calls we are exposed to, we have ample opportunities for valuable training (following patient care, of course). We can compare an exterior size-up to interior layout that we saw while in the home. Look around your territory; like clothes, house styles follow trends. Identify commonalities in your response area. It’s likely that surrounding homes are configured in a similar fashion. Where are the stairs, bedrooms, kitchens, basement, HVAC, or water heaters? How would you access a challenging roof? Keep a measuring wheel or 50-foot rope bag on your apparatus and estimate hose stretches. Loser buys malts!
3. Your built environment (preplans, vacant properties): While preplans can sometimes be used to occupy time, we should be using them to our advantage to identify problem areas. We should be searching out and using vacant/demo properties. Follow your standard operating procedures and chain of command—usually property owners require a release of liability. Even without burning, we can stretch hoselines (and maybe even flow water), conduct searches, perform vent-enter-search, and conduct a Mayday. For an increased challenge, add smoke machines, wax paper on masks, or backward hoods. Property management companies usually have multiple properties available; this is a great opportunity to build a relationship and gain public support. Most property owners would be happy to contribute to our cause.
4. Role play (seat assignment change): If we are bored in the role that we are in and aren’t challenged, switch roles. Take in the company officer’s perspective during training. Mentor a young firefighter to become an apparatus operator. As a company officer who has never been an apparatus operator, I feel that it is my duty to understand that role and learn at a minimum the basics of the equipment. Even in a tabletop scenario, value can be gained for a firefighter to understand his lieutenant or captain’s position. If your department permits it, allow a junior member to drive the apparatus, and allow a senior firefighter to ride in the right front seat on a few calls. This approach provides perspective and ensures a successful future for the department.
5. Community involvement (fire inspections, preplans, construction safety, and occupied properties): This topic was touched on previously, but to reiterate: Building relationships and understanding when we perform inspections or preplans is valuable to both the fire department and the business owners. People value our opinion as much as they do their property. We are not out just to find violations Use these times as opportunities to educate the public. Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros tells a story of an occupied apartment building that his personnel trained in often, with smoke machines and mannequins. Any minor damage to paint from training was fixed by the crews, and property management was happy to have the department prepared for a fire in their building. The result of that training is that a fire did occur in the building and crews were well prepared to mitigate the situation. Find a new property and meet with the architects and foreman to gain insight on building construction before drywall and finishes are in place. I have had a recent experience with a construction safety manager of a major job site. We worked out an opportunity to train on medical emergencies with workers on site. I am working on a proposal for the department to provide site safety training to construction companies. This provides a rare training opportunity for department members, and value to the construction company via lower injury rates and a strong partnership with the fire department.

We can never do enough to prepare for what we might face. Years of service may have provided you with a level of expertise that a brother or sister may not have and may never get. Share your fundamental understanding so that the future of our profession has the best chance of success. Process the news you receive through rose-colored glasses, keep a positive attitude to set the standard, and put your heart and soul into your training. On the day that the impossible call comes in, heart, soul and fundamentals are what will be needed to succeed.

Anthony Siedlik is a captain with Omaha (NE) Fire Department. He is a 20-year veteran of the fire service and second-generation firefighter. He holds a number of industry certifications, including degrees in fire science and graphic communications, and is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational science and leadership.