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IN THE CLASSROOM
Breaking Barriers: Tactics for Serving and Saving People with Disabilities.
This two hour training program provides all first responders an in-depth look at serving the intellectual disabilities communities, with a focus on Down Syndrome and Autism. The class includes recognition, understanding, communication tips, search and rescue concerns, and how to manage special needs patients and victims. Fire Life Training can also provide a Train-the-Trainer program. Please contact us for details.
Situational Awareness & Decision Making; Reality Lessons.
This course takes an honest approach to how easily we can lose our situational awareness and how this affects our decision-making process. This program utilizes case studies, actual radio traffic, images, and open conversations about the importance of gaining and maintaining our situational awareness throughout the incident. During the case studies, students will learn directly from the instructor who served as the incident commander during a near-miss incident and an LODD where the instructor served as one of the investigating officers. Students are provided the opportunity to ask questions about the decision-making process that directly led to one firefighter being killed and one member being trapped for over 15 minutes. This is a hard-hitting and honest program about how a so-called routine fire can become instantly tragic.
True Leadership; The Why and How.
This is not your Father's Leadership class! This program is based on over 35 years of experience from a small combination department to a big city. Many leadership classes are based on theories and do not address the many challenges today’s officers may and do face. This class will cover topics ranging from everyday issues, on scene problems, dealing with disgruntled members, women in the fire service, and all the hot button issues facing the fire service today. Besides experience, the program was also written through numerous interviews with officers, Chiefs, and firefighters. Students will learn how to face common leadership fears and how being ahead of the curve is the best strategy in dealing with any issue. Students are provided the opportunity for open conversation, group exercises, and even role play to improve or change how they are currently leading.
Building a Training Culture.
The fire service preaches “safety” at every turn, we have at times become so safety-focused, we have forgotten to be mission focused. This course looks at the importance of training, how to conduct company drills and how to maintain long term training programs. This class not only provides practical ideas to make training a priority but will motivate members to get out and train. Students will provided be different drills they can utilize and build from, will hear radio traffic of a Mayday, and participate in open discussion on how to improve any training program.
Officer Development; Building and Growing the Foundation.
Company and Step-Up Officers are the backbone of every organization. They are charged with everything from administration duties, discipline issues, personnel matters, training, and fire ground operations. These programs are written to the specific needs of the organization and/or region, they are anchored with various program choices that include communication skills, Size-up, tactics, time management, leadership, safety, and training. All our programs will provide students with leadership opportunities, open and honest conversations about the fire service, history lessons, case studies, and coursework. The Officer Develop programs can be delivered in one-to-five-day blocks of instruction and can also include Live Fire Leadership. If interested, please contact us to build the program that best suits your department's needs.
Midrise Mayhem.
Midrise-style buildings are no longer just an urban issue; these buildings can be found in every town, district, and city. Tactics used in single-family dwellings and two-story homes will prove to be challenging and, in some cases, result in fire ground failure. Fire departments must approach these fires in a different way and be prepared for numerous unforeseen challenges. This program will examine fire attack options, making long and vertical hose stretches, apparatus placement, building systems, ladders, search and rescue considerations, RIT/Safety, and Command issues. In the two-day program, students are provided with hands-on training in all the required skills needed at these fires. This can include any of the following.
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Standpipe Operations
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Making the Stretch
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Deck Gun options
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Lines over Ladders
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Alternative hose stretches.
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Search & Rescue
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RIT
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Command
Size-Up for Success: The First 5 Minutes!
We have all heard; “So goes the first line, so goes the fire”. While this is true, the decision on what line to pull and where to pull it to, is based on the initial size-up. Utilizing lecture, photo’s, and Digital Combustion simulations students will be provided lessons on building construction, decision making, an easy to use size-up method, how to conduct a 360 walk-around, reading smoke and making the first assignments. Students will also lean how to look at size-up from a tactical approach as well. Students are given ample opportunity to practice and refine their size-up skills.
Multi-Family Dwellings: Strategy and Tactics
Every department faces these fires today and there are drastic differences in how we should approach a fire involving multi-family structures. Today, we face everything from ordinary constructed 2-story 4-plex’s, Highrise apartment buildings, senior living complexes, and the standard 3-4 story wood frames. These fires can quickly tax any departments resources and members operating on the scene will face difficult and hard to reach fires, wind driven events, multiple people trapped, balconies, early collapse, and rapidly developing fire conditions. This class will examine building construction, size-up, hose lay tactics, fire attack, search, and ventilation options.
Incident Command 101
This training is designed for new and future Chief Officers that may serve in the capacity as incident commanders. Students will learn how to make quick decisions, warning signs of potential hazards, how to manage multiple units, and how to stay ahead of the incident. Utilizing Digital Combustion, students will be provided the opportunity to manage fire scenes and will also learn how to use tactical worksheets. Students will also be given different case studies where incident command missed incident cues that resulted in disastrous outcomes.
Instructor Development
One of the most important positions within any department is Instructor. Unfortunately, we rarely provide our instructors with any direction once they have completed their certification classes. This program is designed to teach current and future instructors how to get the most out of their students, how to design programs, time management, and general best practices to teaching new and current firefighters. This class provided students with the opportunity to work on their instructional skills and learn how to take any subject and make it a true learning experience for our members.
National Fire Academy and Pro Board Programs
Fire Life Training can also provide curriculum-based training, including.
-NFA Leadership series (3 two-day classes)
-Incident Safety Officer
-Instructor I and II (IFSTA)
-Fire Officer I (IFSTA)
Decision Making in the Safety Culture
This program provides students with street-smart decision-making tools and ideas. The instructors utilize case studies, radio traffic and video to help students gain a better understanding on how they can improve on their own fire ground decision making skills. The case studies include a Mayday incident and a rescue attempt that ended with the suspension of the officer involved. The decision-making process can be overwhelming, and this course is based on experience, not theories!
The Fire Family
There truly are two fire families. One is the station and department, and the other is home, spouse, and children. More often than not, these two “families” fight for time and attention, and while the firefighter is caught in the middle, the spouse and children live in the unique world of growing up in what is often the secondary role to the fire department, and station/shift life.
The Fire Family is the brainchild of Zac Edwards, son of our founder Todd. As a young adult who grew up in a fire family, Zac feels it is important to include the children of firefighters into the conversation and work to make sure that their unique experiences are represented while growing up. Zac and Todd created the program together, and present as a father/son duo, with interaction from actual fire wives. The family dynamic, coupled with their real experiences as father and son, make this a powerful and interactive course for those who attend. This unique program truly addresses the impact that the fire service has on the family unit as a whole, and on the firefighter individually.
Fire Wife Life - The "Get-Real" Conversation
Through highly interactive "get real" conversations, we work as a national team to lead seminars, weekend retreats, conference presentations, and various events that allow wives to laugh, cry, share, and get really honest in a safe and fun space, with other women who live this Fire Wife Life. These conversations can be arranged by Fire Wife Life, or any wife can call us, and bring us to your town or group!
Fire Wife Life - The Brunch Chronicles
This is the same as our "Get-Real" Conversation. However, we use a restaurant or pub space that includes drinks and a day out!
Fire Wife Life - The Conference Builder
If you have an annual conference, and you are looking for events for your spouses, we can build that for you!
Fire Wife Life - The Retreat
Many wives need some time away to talk more in-depth (1 and 2 day retreats), and experience the time together with other spouses who understand what they may be going through. We will choose the locations, and put together the weekend, you just come ready to talk honestly and openly, while you further build your support system and tribe!