It’s ironic that this month’s roundtable concerns recruit training. Since last month’s issue, I have been reassigned as deputy chief of training and EMS. This is not an assignment unfamiliar to me. I was a recruit (about 26 years ago), and I also served many years in training as an instructor and chief (battalion at that time).
Our recruits are placed on a 21-week training schedule and are assigned to the bureau on an eight-hour-a-day basis. During the course of their training, recruits are certified by the state as a firefighter (240 hours minimum), an EMT-B, and a fire safety inspector. Firefighting training is in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Profession Qualifications. We exceed some of the recommended time frames and cover additional areas beyond those in the curriculum.
During the SCBA portion of their training, recruits are put through live burns in our burn building. There are also live burns in the burn building during the “extinguishment” portion of their training. The 21-week period then culminates in live burns in acquired structures. These burns follow NFPA 1403, Standard for Live Fire Training Evolutions.
I am convinced that live burn experience acquired in structures or under more “controlled” situations is an absolute necessity. To put our recruits into the real world without any hint of firefighting conditions (real or controlled burns in burn buildings) is a disservice to the recruit and the initial company officer to whom they are assigned.
Although I believe that 21 weeks is adequate, I must emphasize that we are fooling ourselves if we believe that this is the end of our formal training. Recruit training is merely the start of what should be annual realistic competency-based training.
-John (Skip) Coleman, deputy chief of training and EMS, Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue; author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997) and Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2001); editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering; and member of the FDIC Educational Committee.
Questions: Are today’s firefighters receiving enough initial training prior to being sent out to fire companies? How many weeks/months do you consider adequate for basic-level structural firefighting? Should live fire training be included or excluded from recruit training? Why?
Leigh Hollins, battalion chief, Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue, Manatee County, Florida
Response: I offer answers based on the “minimum requirements” per Florida law and also on the policies we have in place at Cedar Hammock.
Speaking only about the standards required in Florida, it depends on the situation. A fire department “employee” in Florida must complete the 360-hour “minimum standards” course and become a certified firefighter within one year of employ-ment. During this one-year period, the employee may not directly engage in hazardous operations, such as interior structural firefighting and hazardous materials incident mitigation. However, a new employee who has served as a volunteer firefighter may, during this period, function in the same capacity as he did as a volunteer firefighter, provided that he had completed all training required by the volunteer organization (Florida Statute 633.35). Therefore, in reality, a person can come on the job with zero training.
I do not believe many Florida departments hire “untrained” firefighters, but it is an acceptable practice under state law. I believe the minimum standards course and the testing that goes with it provide sufficient training for a recruit to be assigned to a company. All the major components of firefighting are covered, and many fire training academies offer “enhanced” minimum standards courses that go beyond the 360-hour minimum and cover additional fire-related subject matter.
No minimum training is required for volunteer firefighters in Florida. In the past, a 40-hour course was required; this requisite was abolished some years ago. It is up to the individual volunteer departments to provide training and set minimum training requirements for volunteer firefighters. Although there is no minimum requirement for volunteers, I have found that most volunteer departments with which I have been affiliated or have been involved in training activities provide sufficient training for their volunteers.
Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue is an all-career department and hires only Florida-certified firefighters; the department recently added the requirement of EMT certification. The new recruits employed have demonstrated sufficient knowledge to be assigned to a company. In addition to being Florida certified, they also attend an orientation program and are routinely assigned to Station 1, where we can offer them more intense training for the first six months or so. Our daily training sessions are 21/2 hours long, which provides additional training each shift.
This program has worked well for us and provides the amount and types of training new recruits need during their first year or so of assignment.
Should live fire training be included or excluded from recruit training? I believe that live fire training should be required for all firefighters prior to their being assigned to a company. If done properly, live fire training is a fairly safe operation that is done without incident hundreds, if not thousands, of times each year. At FDIC and FDIC West over the past five years, the Hands-On Training (H.O.T.) instructors have performed hundreds of live burn evolutions with one, yes one, injury-and that was minor. Florida’s minimum standards training includes live fire training, and we at Cedar Hammock routinely acquire structures and conduct this type of training; we make sure our newer employees attend whenever possible.
We also regularly travel to a regional fire academy that has a three-story burn building to provide this type of training for our newer firefighters. Although fireground conditions cannot be exactly duplicated in a burn building or an acquired building, this type of training is invaluable to a recruit from a safety aspect. It also gives the recruit the confidence he needs to participate in an interior attack in a structure that is on fire.
Steve Kreis, assistant chief, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
Response: Today’s new firefighters in Phoenix receive a comprehensive one-year probationary period of recruit training that includes 15 weeks at the Training Academy. The 15 weeks are broken up into four phases.
The first 12-week period (Phase 1) is dedicated to the core skills recruits need to operate safely in the fire service and survive. The three primary areas of focus during Phase I are Technical Skills, Wellness for Life, and Safety with Customer Service; IMS skills are interwoven throughout the entire core.
The Technical Skills curriculum focuses on standard firefighting proficiencies a successful firefighter should possess. The Wellness for Life and Safety curricula focus on the mental and physical fitness aspects needed to be nice, prevent harm, and survive in the fire service. Many of the physical fitness activities center on the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)/International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Wellness-Fitness Initiative. During the final portion of Phase I, recruits spend 24-hour shifts in the field while staffing extra engine companies in the city with their recruit training officer(s) and an experienced driver. They respond to actual incidents, typically as an extra engine company. The goal of Phase I training is to prepare recruit firefighters for the challenges they will face in the field.
At the end of the Phase I training, a recruit begins rotating through three recruit station assignments, staying at each station for three months. At the end of each three-month period, the recruits return to the academy for one more week of phase training (Phases II and III and Final Evaluations). During these final phases, recruits complete Fire Fighter I and II testing and are evaluated on all basic skills.
Live fire training is an important part of recruit training. You could even argue that with the decreased number of actual working fires in the United States, veteran firefighters may not be getting enough live fire activity. Therefore, the chance that a recruit will see a significant number of real fires in a reasonable period of time is very slim. If practiced as described in NFPA 1500, Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, live fire training enables a recruit to experience fire in a controlled semi-safe environment. Recruits partake in three live burns in the Phase I portion of training. One of them usually is in a donated structure off-site from the academy. During live fire training, recruits operate in crews with a recruit training officer, perform all the tactical objectives, communicate face-to-face, use radios to listen for and provide critical fireground information, and perform many of the other duties associated with a real firefight.
Today’s recruits seem to score better and learn more quickly using a training model that focuses on the concepts of training generations “X” and “Y” instead of the militaristic training model used to introduce us into the fire service. This new model will more likely produce high-quality firefighters who are self-managed problem solvers and nice.
Bob Oliphant, lieutenant, Kalamazoo (MI) Department of Public Safety
Response: We conduct our own fire academy in accordance with state requirements. The academy is 12 weeks and includes two weeks of Medical First Responder training. The firefighting portion is structured around the third edition of the IFSTA Essentials text and includes practical exercises. Based on what we typically encounter, I think the time and instruction are adequate.
Our recruit level training includes live fire training in a noncombustible building. The feedback from recruits has always been that they considered live fire training to be the most important part of their academy experience. The more a training exercise resembles an actual fire, the better they like it. The purpose of any training should be to approximate what they are likely to encounter under real-life conditions. I can’t imagine how recruits can perform effectively unless they have experienced the conditions of a real fire.
Rick Lasky, chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
Response: The Lewisville Fire Department is bound by the rules and regulations set by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, and our department works hard to comply with all of these standards. Fortunately, the Commission is proactive and is always looking for ways to improve firefighter safety and is open and receptive to suggestions.
The Commission requires that new firefighters become TCFP Certified Basic Firefighters within one year of the hire date (the candidate cannot function as a firefighter until he is certified) and complete a basic first aid or EMT class.
Candidates can accomplish this by attending a rookie school (academy) provided by a community college or a fire department. We often use the program offered by the Collin County Community College; it is well received and has consistently turned out well-trained candidates.
We believe the Commission’s guidelines should be viewed as a minimum level of training and represent only the beginning of what a new firefighter must know. A new Lewisville firefighter may join the department by one of the following methods:
- A general hire method in which applicants apply, take a written exam, and undergo a physical ability test. Successful applicants are given polygraph and psychological exams, undergo a background check, and are interviewed. Some applicants are certified as firefighters or paramedics; others have no certifications or fire service experience.
- Candidates are certified as firefighters, paramedics, or both. These applicants go through the same process as those for the general hire. On meeting the hiring requirements, the new firefighters spend time on days (Monday to Friday) participating in our firefighter orientation program, which includes reviewing the department’s organizational structure, rules and regulations, and standard operating procedures; training on our apparatus; and participating in live burn sessions at our burn tower. We also advocate live fire training for all our members. Our Training Division schedules live fire training throughout the year.
At a time when it seems that many fire departments are going away from live fire training, we are adding more of it to our current programs. We believe that recruits should be given live fire training as well as firefighter safety and survival training. When done in accordance with NFPA 1403, live fire training is extremely valuable to new and experienced firefighters and will help them to operate more safely on the fireground.
Ronald Hiraki, assistant chief of employee development, Seattle (WA) Fire Department
Response: Because firefighters must respond to a variety of hazardous, difficult, and changing incidents, the amount of initial training is always important. The type and amount of training depend on the department’s desired level of training and how new firefighters are assigned and are expected to perform in the fire company. In addition to basic hose and ladder skills, some departments may train to awareness levels, whereas others will train to the operations level in other skills. New firefighters assigned to a training company in some departments or to a regular fire company can be expected to perform all duties under the supervision of an officer or senior firefighter.
The Seattle Fire Department Recruit School is 111/2 weeks long. An additional week of Operations Division training is provided. This includes rope rescue, confined space rescue, extrication, trench rescue, and building collapse and shoring. Successful completion of the emergency medical technician course is a prerequisite for employment and entry into recruit school. Our recruits are trained to the Firefighter I level in recruit school. On graduation, they become probationary firefighters. They complete Firefighter II requirements in the fire company during the nine months of probation. Probationary firefighters fill regular on-duty positions under the supervision of a company officer. These probationary firefighters continue to review skills from recruit school with their fire company and gain experience while responding to emergency incidents and performing fire prevention activities.
Our program is successful thanks to the dedication of the instructors and the recruits. It is extremely challenging to properly instruct and evaluate the recruits in all of the basic knowledge and skills needed to work in the company in the allotted time. Over the years, we have added topics and balanced the time by eliminating or reducing time spent on material and skills less frequently used. Some topics are covered in a self-study format. Training officers recognize that today’s recruits learn by asking questions, receiving feedback, and experience. For this reason, it is desirable to have more time to use this learning process.
Live fire training is an essential part of our recruit school. According to Lieutenant Skip Chappel, one of our Training Division recruit instructors, “Until recruits apply their knowledge and skills in live fire training, they are living only through the instructor’s experience. After completing live fire training, they have their own experience.” While live fire training in an acquired structure is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and hazardous, it is a comprehensive way to complete recruit training. Live fire training is a confidence builder for the recruits and ensures that they are prepared to perform as firefighters.
Joseph Floyd, assistant chief, Columbia (SC) Fire Department
Response: Our department has come a long way with its initial training from 25 years ago when I was hired. At that time, I was put through what was truly on-the-job training. I was given my gear, assigned to a truck, and told to stay close to my captain.
Since that time, the department has become very progressive and has some of the best instructors around. We now put our recruits through 10 weeks of a very demanding recruit school. At the end of recruit school, all recruits are nationally certified to the NFPA Firefighter I and II, Haz-Mat First Responder, Flammable Liquids/Gas Firefighting, Auto Extrication, and Emergency Medical First Responder levels. The department also does live burns but is very careful to follow safety guidelines. The Training Bureau makes sure that backup lines are in place and that crews are on standby should recruits need assistance. The Bureau also makes sure that several exits are available and several instructors are monitoring the situation and the recruits.
I see live fire training as a must so that the department can see how recruits will react in a situation as close as possible to a real fire situation. This is a key element in the department’s training. We use recruit school to weed out those who are not cut out to be firefighters and who are not willing to be team players. Many recruits who thought they could do the job quickly find out what the job is all about-hard work, sacrifice, and teamwork. By weeding out those who cannot do the job, we protect them and all firefighters. The program has done a good job of preparing recruits for service on the line, and the department will continue to improve it. Once a recruit has completed recruit school, he is assigned to a company, and his training continues in other specialized areas.
We have come a long way from the days of just putting firefighters on trucks without training and are presently looking at expanding our program to better prepare recruits.
Frank C. Schaper, chief, St. Charles (MO) Fire Department
Response: The quality of recruit training depends on the training center, the instructors, the number of recruits, and the quality of the recruits. I am familiar with three training academies-the St. Louis County Fire Academy, the St. Charles County Fire Academy, and the St. Louis Fire Academy. I was chief instructor at the St. Louis Academy for six years. These three academies differ just a bit, although all three use the IFSTA Essentials of Firefighting manual.
What they do have in common, however, is dedicated people running the operations and excellent instructors doing the teaching. Twelve weeks of training is offered at two of the academies; St. Charles County’s program is protracted over nine months because of the enrollment of volunteers. Training is conducted on weeknights and weekends to get the job done.
Recruit training is much better today than when I broke into the business many years ago. My recruit class lasted one week. We were trained in how to run a mop and how to tie a few knots. We learned just enough to get us killed. On-the-job training was the academy of the day.
I was able to get up to eight weeks of recruit training as chief instructor in St. Louis. Eight weeks was sufficient back then when we concentrated on the Essentials book. As the profession of firefighting became more technical with the addition of hazardous-materials training, first responder/EMT training, the incident command system (ICS), and so on, the program was expanded to 12 weeks.
Twelve weeks in a well-organized fire academy is not bad. I believe that within that time frame the Essentials book can be covered along with some of the other technical items such as hazardous materials and ICS. What is lacking is adequate time in live fire training and driver training. Perhaps what is needed is a fire service AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) with a concentration on live fire training and real hands-on training in ventilation and other topics. Time and money are the real issues here; most academies are pressed to get the recruit class out on the line.
Live fire training is a whole issue in itself. When I was chief instructor of the St. Louis Fire Academy, we worked in acquired buildings. During the 1980s, we had a plethora of such buildings. We used them to teach ventilation, overhaul, fire streams, SCBA, and live fire training. During the six years I was in charge, no one was seriously injured or killed but, let me tell you, Live Fire Week made me a nervous wreck. I was always glad when it was over.
I prefer using a training tower for live fire training; the environment is better controlled. Numerous evolutions can be conducted safely under heat and smoke conditions. The downside, of course, is that the fires are nowhere near real. But at least you don’t have the Environmental Protection Agency breathing down your neck for creating smoke or burning asbestos materials. It is also comforting to know that your instructors and recruits are relatively safe.
One thing I know for sure, whether working in an acquired building or a tower, is that when picking your cadre of instructors, select people with a “safety attitude”; leave those firefighters with the “50 mission” helmets back at their fire stations. All these folks are interested in is showing the recruits how much heat they can take. Bravado firefighters such as these are likely to get someone hurt. Burned recruits and melted face shields never showed up on my lesson plans for live fire training. I always ran a safe operation.
Participate in Rountable!
Would you like to present your viewpoint in Roundtable? Here are the topics for the November and December issues. Submit your comments to maryjd@penn-well.com. Indicate “Roundtable” on the subject line.
November: Does your department use analog or digital radio systems? Have you experienced any problems similar to those of FDNY?
Background: Recently, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) experienced a radio failure at a basement fire. The chief and other command members outside could not receive transmissions from crews inside the building. The dispatchers in the Communications Center could hear the transmissions, but the firefighters on the scene could not.
FDNY had recently purchased a new “Digital” 800-MHz radio system. Digital systems work well in most areas but can hit a complete “dead spot” without warning. On the other hand, the analog-system radios get weaker and weaker (or more staticky) until the signal fades away. The manufacturers are “pushing” the new digital system and are discouraging sales of the older analog system.
Deadline for submissions: September 25.
December: Has your department ever been requested to hose down crowds of unruly people or to become involved in law enforcement matters directly or indirectly?
Background: The International Association of Fire Chiefs recently issued a statement voicing its objections to the “use of firefighter or other rescue personnel, their uniforms or likeness thereof, or fire apparatus to gain an advantage in criminal action by law enforcement representatives.” The IAFC executive director noted that such activities “violate our public trust” and create hazards for our personnel by “compromising our ability to operate in hostile situations.”
Deadline for submissions: October 25.
