Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Blake Haun on May 31, 2009 at 9:54am

at our department we have training drill every monday. we are fully volunteer from chief down to probie. members who miss 3 concecutive weeks without good reason ( work or death) lose their gear and their name is taken off the roster. that usually boosts attendance.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on May 31, 2009 at 10:05am

if what you are doing isn't working, then you need to try something different... duh... even with the most motivated training officer, if the troops aren't into it then it will never matter... what you might consider trying is having folks sign up for training days and the responsibility to run the drill. firemen are competitive, take advantage of this and see what happens. having ff's design and implement training can be easily monitored and directed by your TO. Besides, this goes along with my three basic rules for being a Fire Captain...

1. Don't tell the driver how to drive.
2. Don't tell the cook how to cook.
3. If it can't be delegated, then don't do it...

TCSS, CB

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by ashfire on May 31, 2009 at 10:50am

I am a member of a volunteer fire department in a county where it is a combination system. The county career service has control of who can be a volunteer or who is in charge. The volunteers own most of the stations and fire and rescue apparatus and a few ems units while the county owns a few stations a few fire and rescue apparatus and a good number of ems units, Now some volunteer stations have good retention of their members while others just barely have members who come around. You might see most of them on meeting nights or training nights or some event that leadership ask members to be there. The station is manned 24 hours by career personnel. If a volunteer comes in they have to ask the career officer if they can ride and if its a volunteer officer captain and below the career officer rides the seat. If its a ems call the volunteers can take the ambulance unless they involved in something then career personnel will take the call.
Now we had at one time up to 60 members and are now down to a handful most of them officers and members that are operational and a few that don't ride anymore.
A lot of them left due to disagreements with leadership and went to nearby stations or departments in other counties or states or because of time it takes to become a volunteer from filling out a application to finishing training and being allowed to ride.
I am always hearing from some how they want to do this but the chief says it won't happen because we have career personnel to do it. The other thing is money because funds have been slow in coming to make things better.
The county provides many things but its not enoungh to keep people unless everyone works with everyone and maybe people won't leave.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by paula beckham on June 1, 2009 at 12:49am

i was talking to some guys from a neighboring station they run a points system for training and call attendance then just before Christmas issue supermarket vouchers based on it
we do not have that problem here at our station we all love to train the example is today is a public holiday and we are all showing up for training tonight

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cassie on June 4, 2009 at 1:53am

Provide dinner on training nights!

Don't know if that's really the reason, but we get a lot (maybe even most) of the members of our volunteer dept. to our weekly training nights. One, it's expected, and if you stop coming, you may get talked to. Two, you get in the habit of going. We don't have an academy, you just come to Tuesday night trainings and start working your way through a minimum set of tactics/scenarios until pagered. By then, you're so used to coming, and there are still more tactics to learn, that you keep coming back.

And WE GET A FULL DINNER AFTER TRAINING. This awesome lady cooks a full dinner for us (pasta, stew, casseroles, salads, breads, desserts, etc.) and leaves it warming in the kitchen. We train from about 7-10pm... then we head into the kitchen and chow down. Best meal I eat each week!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Paul Everson on June 4, 2009 at 11:31pm

I am a FT Captain in a combination department, I agree with assigning drills to different individuals. They get to learn alot doing the research for thier drill and they also get to feel the let down if nobody attends. I do not want people to fail, but by doing this they know how much work is put into preparing the drill and attend each others to see what ideas they may use for thier own. I frequently hear staff say to each other "Why didn't you make my drill?"

Paul

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dustin J. Millis on June 5, 2009 at 5:24am

My dept. requires that every member make 75% of the trainings every year. Obviously if a ff has undergone surgery or some other tramatic event (family death, etc) they are not expected to attend. However; by the end of the year, all members must have their required number of trainings or they are placed on a non-active list. They can respond to the station and run radio but thats it until they make up the trainings.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion