Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
This week’s firefighter training drill opens a discussion of the methods used by your department to conduct search operations of a fire building using SOP methods and training information provided. Many methods for search exist and each must be used under specific circumstances. Each method also carries a level of risk as well as a tremendous amount of coordination between other operating groups and the incident commander.
Recruits may have spent many hours on their hands and knees in the burn tower, but our firefighting veterans can provide specific information on how these techniques work in the non-drill tower world. Consider the use and application of each type of search and the methods used to safely conduct search operations. Consider all aspects of maintaining crew integrity and risk/benefit analysis in your discussions.
Download this firefighter training drill as a PDF HERE.
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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.
