Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
This week’s challenge covers forcible entry tools and terminology along with some case-based applications for forcible entry in emergency and non-emergency situations. Discuss the terminology and principles of forcible entry operations in your department. Tool categories and specific tool types are essential skill basics and how we use them in the streets according to our department SOPs allows for more efficiency and speed when forcible entry is required. Maintenance, storage, and proper technique for use should be part of this training. Get out on the floor and put your hands on the tools and equipment!
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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.
