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Permalink Reply by Clay Reynolds on May 25, 2011 at 2:03pm

Never easy being the training officer if nobody wants to train. I was t.o. for 6 years and you'll always have some slackers. I never told anyone ahead of time except for the chief what the training was going to be. I told everyone that training started on time and if you showed up late you had to figure out where we were training and what was going on. If you don't have enough to get started, start something else with the ones who do want to train or invite the mutual aid dept. Keep your head up and keep running excellent trainings and eventually the slackers will catch on. Seek help from the chief it's also their responsibilty to make sure everyone is trained.

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Permalink Reply by Mongo on May 25, 2011 at 3:22pm

That's the thing, I'm not the officer, I'm on the training committee. The T.O. wasn't there and had nothing to do with the drill.

It does suck but the only think I can do is try to set up a well run drill and hope people get the best out of it they can. I will work with the ones who show interest and leave the miserable ones to themselves.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Carlisle on May 26, 2011 at 8:05am

Start as close to on time as you can, We train once a month with our mutual aid departments (town wide training) and it is hard to get everyone there on time ,but if you start on time the crews will realize that you do start on time and trying to catch up is a hassle , eventually they do show up on time , To have the training opportunity you have on this type of building is awesome ,Use it to it's fullest potential ,because you may never get this chance again . stay safe train hard

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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on May 26, 2011 at 8:35am

"No one enforces the time, which is our first problem."
There's your problem right there. This is a culture problem; the lack of enthusiasm is simply a symptom of a greater problem.

"The T.O. wasn't there and had nothing to do with the drill."
If your training officer was neither required to be present nor have anything to do with the training, he's not a training officer he's a place holder. The issue? See above.

It's surprising that you were even able to get the structure to train in given the apparent lack of interest on the part of your command (and the inability or unwillingness of your command to command). Why bother with setting up a training exercise when it's already predetermined that no one gives a shit?

I don't know what your run volume is but the fewer calls you have the more you need to rely on training to (at the least) maintain your skill set. If your department is running calls to large industrial/office buildings every other day then maybe your membership finds this kind of training redundant. On the other hand, if most of your calls are wetting down foundations then this type of training is significant.

Here's a thought: Where do you get the strongest turnout; 3am 'smells and bells'; the rare (but thrilling and fodder for 'war stories') working fire or; anything that offers free food, "beverages" or both?

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Permalink Reply by Mongo on May 26, 2011 at 9:35am

I agree 100% on your firefighter theory. Don't come if you don't want to be all that comes with being a firefighter.

I wouldn't say anyone complains about drill running five minutes late, we're talking about an hour plus. No drill night ends before 11. Most of which is redundant talking about topics that have been discussed a dozen times or they decide to wash the trucks at 11. It's ridiculous.

The calling ahead of time, should be common sense and common courtesy.

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Permalink Reply by Mongo on May 26, 2011 at 9:38am

I like the idea, I tried this time around but it wasn't well received. Couldn't understand what the hurry was...

I'm not in charge so I only have so much I can do. I run out of a substation and what I can do is get our engine to drill on time. Maybe they'll pick up on it.

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Permalink Reply by Mongo on May 26, 2011 at 9:43am

We're on the same page. Esp. with the placeholder comment. Good lord, spot on.

We run a decent # of calls, around 500-600 a year, no ems.

Why did I bother? Because I know at least ONE person will learn something. That's enough for my effort. I can't stand people saying they've never done something when asked. I affected at least two people profoundly with that nights training. I'd say that at least 10 people learned more than they have at a drill in months. It was a hassle, BUT who knows when we'll get the chance to train like that again? Hands on is the best way to learn. I'm going to set up as much stuff as I'm asked to do, and I'll do it to the best of my ability. No point in having a training night if people don't learn anything.

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Permalink Reply by Patti Walz on May 26, 2011 at 3:38pm

I can sympathize....

I am here to drill, to learn to keep my skills on point. I am not here to sit around a table b*tch and belly ache. Quite frankly I get tired of going to drills where it ends up being a bullsh*t session, or a piss and moan pity session.

Sorry, just getting frustrated.....

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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on May 27, 2011 at 12:43am

your first problem may be fatal. you need officers who care enough to develop and inforce member sops.MEMBERS MUST ATTEND ACERTAIN NUMBER OF TRAINING HOURS AMONTH. If this is made clear from the start then those who dont agree should turn in their turnouts and makeway for interested members. Training officers who cant show up for a major evolution such as this are not training officers. Departmnts would kill for such a chance and he can't over see it ,baring an acceptable excuse'they need to be replaced.Once this is established and enforced and an enthusistic training officer is in place the enthusiasm should trickle down. If the deadwood is removed not enough members remain then you must close the doors before somebody is injured or killed.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Callahan on May 27, 2011 at 4:26pm

I'm not going to beat up the TO as I have no idea what he does for a full-time job that may have caused him to miss the drill. In fact, the strongest organizations are the ones with multiple members who have the capability to plan and run drills, which after all, is the purpose of having a training committee. In my current VFD, the TO works as a shift firefighter and is unable to be there some nights. I function as the de facto Asst. Training Officer, however, I have a commitment on many of our training nights as I am required to be at most of the training for my fulltime department (we both train on Thursdays). However, we communicate ahead of time and determine who is going to be available and who will handle training, so there is always a coodinated plan.

On my previous volunteer department, the TO would encourage members to conduct the training and would assist in the development of the goals, objectives,lesson plans and practical skill evolutions. He was there most of the time but if somebody else had the training, he would stand clear and function as a student not an instructor, unless requested otherwise.

As far as the enthusiasm issue, it sounds like there is an issue, which more than likely, starts at the top and works it's way down. While you can't force members to be thrilled about training, the command staff can mandate they will be there and will be there for the most part on time. If the command staff does not enforce policies, training is behind the 8-ball as some members will want to train, and will be there on time, and other members will not want to train and do everything tthey can to avoid it. How many falls into each group is in great part determined by the attiude of the command staff.

Sounds like your command staff has the issues.

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Permalink Reply by Moose on June 3, 2011 at 9:34am

My problem is that we are a small town rural volunteer department with a tiny budget. We have about 20 active members and about 8-9 interior firefighters, 1 engine, 1 engine/tanker, rescue, brush truck and ambulance and we roll about 120 times a year. Very low call volume is what drives me to want to train my members even more, because if you dont use the skill you loose it.
Our department handles a lot of our own repairs on trucks, being we have a few guys that are good at mechanics and they volunteer to fix the stuff for us. My issue is, if there is a mechanical issue the chief usually cancels the drill for that night, and everyone just mills around the firehouse as these two or three guys work on the truck. I think this needs to stop, we could still be drilling on something without those guys and it bugs me because it seems that every monday there is an issue with the equipment and we are doing truck checks...(snore)

I know that the checks are needed, but training is needed too, especially for us since we dont get to fight fire often or cut up cars often.

So we approached our mutual aid department who is having the same issue and we combined our small groups together and had some cooperative drills together, It works great and we learn about each others equipment and tactics, who is trained in what, and what officers are available at what times. It helps for those day time calls we get.

I plan on spicing up our drill nights some and get the attention back. Like planning for our tones to go off one night before drill starts and have a mock incident set up some where and have our department and the mutual aid dept respond and see how they react. Than critique it and have pizza at the station.
Word gets around and maybe some more people will show up next month.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan James Johnsrud on June 3, 2011 at 9:04pm

When I was a member of a Volunteer Department one of the biggest things we tried to address was complacency.
Some ideas that other departments have had success with were:
-Wall of Shame- a large board either inside the meeting room or even on the exterior of the station that lists all meetings and trainings and gives a check for all who attend and a big blank for those who don't. It can also serve as a way to show the Public all the hours your members put in. I would suggest a Wall of Fame to celebrate success and just let the unchecked spaces speak for themselves.
-Hour Logs- Have a three column log book dividing hours into Call Response, Trainings and Meetings, and Department Maintence (Apparatus or Planning)- Members log their own hours on an honor system and place an asterix by any hours taken away from their full time job. Translates nicely into an annual report that can be given to City Councils or County Commissions, and to Volunteers employers (who can use their donated hours for their own PR).
-Recruitment Class Maltese- Volunteer Departments don’t usually run a traditional Company so Company Logo’s don’t really apply, but volunteer firefighters who are recruited around the same time often bond during initial training/certification classes and rookie butt-chewings. Have guys who were brought in around the same time make a Class Logo based on a Maltese sporting their recruitment year (or years) and a theme that they identify with (or are striving to become). Make the first year a contest and get all the old guys to look at who’s still around from their class, remember the guys who’ve moved on and come up with a theme that they identify with their years of service. Choose impartial judges to select the winner (full-time employers, city council members, county commissioners, mayor etc.). This is a cheap way to get new guys to invest in (and identify with) their department, gin up that Rookie vs. Veteran tension in a positive way (especially when first selling the idea at a meeting),
-Compete at Community Events- Ties in with the Wall of Fame, during public events have firefighter competitions where guys from the department compete for the fastest time donning and doffing their equipment. Have them push a ball through an obstacle course with a hose stream…whatever, get them out and get them competing, and having fun. Have spare equipment and let the public try their hand at donning some equipment.
-Awards- Awards and Awards Ceremonies are not for the recipients they are tools used by effective leaders. Want to change the culture? Want to up attendance at training or get better call response? Make awards for it. The Hour Logs work great here, especially with awards for things like Most Calls Responed to, Most Active Recruit, Most Training Hours, Most Hours Spent Planning. Other awards could be Most Inventive Training, etc. etc. Don't be afraid to give your awards fancy or interesting names.
-Training + Leadership- If you run monthly training events have a training officer or training committee oversee the trainings, but rotate members to run the trainings each month (even new members get a shot). What’s the best way to deal with a problem firefighter? Get him involved. Letting guys run trainings and helping them run an effective training is great way to boost morale and individual confidence.
The State Fire Association has certification JPR’s and those are great to structure a training program around (Hammer home the basics and build from there). Have some resources available for the guys running the training especially if it’s their first one- initially we want to make it easy for them to succeed, but also, if they are going to drop the ball we don’t want the other members stuck dragging through a wasted training session, the training officer should know the plan and be able jump in if info is missed or the class is really coming off poorly.
Take pictures of your trainings and develop an outline that can be followed next year.
I’m just spit balling some ideas we used to discuss. Some things were implemented, others still haven’t been.

One thing a neighboring department did was wash out anybody who didn't toe the line. I would only do that as a last resort. Get your leaders on board, the ones with the titles AND the ones (that small core group) who show up for everything, and try to bring everybody back on board, before throwing out ultimatims. Sometimes its necessary though, they have a new chief and they have really turned their department around and got people who want to be there.

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