Anyone can ride a Fire Engine, blow the siren and even "dress up"in some bunker gear... But it is TRAINING that helps turn that "anyone " into a Firefighter Who Actually Has A Clue,On What To Actually Do..
Hey Chris, now that I have read it over again, I see that I should have went another way with it. The ill-trained person should not be deep enough into the zone to be assigned anything. I would like to say that, here, it's done before the incident even happens. If someone doesn't show up for trainings or does and goofs off when they are there, then they don't get assigned at a call. When someone is missing a lot of time, we all (in our dept) have no issue with bringing it up the chain....starting with the training officer.That is something that I would not want to happen at a scene either. Mind you, we normally have a good turnout as far as responders go.
And yes, some jobs on the fireground are fine , but I was meaning the S&R, or interior fire attack.
The more I learn the less I realize that I know i like that.
I totally agree with Paul. No vet should be above any amount of refresher training. Practice, practice, practice...makes perfect. Heck, we have so many details to worry about I have to remind myself constantly just to remember the easy stuff, let alone the difficult stuff. So, never think you're too experienced to do refresher training. If what you're doing at the moment (during a drill) is something you already know inside and out help a new guy get his technique just right and by doing so you'll help the whole department...most of all yourself.
Cap, we've had a few "morons" get up and go elsewhere, too. Thank goodness they did. They would have made us look bad. But don't let a few bad apples change the way you operate. Confront them and challenge them to rise to the occasion. When I see one of these guys in Wal-Mart I ask them what department they're with and try to find out a little something about them. I try not to turn my back on them. Maybe it will cause them to want to be more professional. Or maybe I'm dreamin'...=/
Training once a week or so with drills or hands on the equipment used mostly even the ones you rarly see is a good way to keep you knowing what needs be done or what to do without thinking about to get that job done fast and safly. plus its a great way to have a great time with some of the cool stuff you got making it a fun day while learning.
Far be it from me to knock training - it's important - but there's no substitute for experience. When "training" is the closest thing to an actual fireground that many firefighters will get, it's no wonder that a 5" back-up line is left wrapped around a hydrant.