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What The Academy Didn't Teach You...
Hey everyone, my name is Jimmy and this is my first post. I'm currently in a fire academy and am loving every minute of it. Class is fun and I learn something new every day. The thought of being a career firefighter has not always been a welcome one to me, but since joining the HVFD, I now know this is the right path for me.
I've been on the volunteer department for about a year and-a-half now and have been taught some things by my fellow volunteers that have not been mentioned in class. This got me thinking. I've always heard that once you get out of the academy, it is just the beginning. And so I ask you this: What important lessons and methods have you learned that the fire academy just couldn't/didn't teach you? Maybe some of those things you wish you would have known when you first stepped into your job as a probie.
I also want to add real quick that over the year-and-a-half that I've been on the department, this website has been my single most valuable research tool. I've learned so much about the fire service from the articles and the forums, and I wanted to say thanks. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you people. Thanks guys, looking forward to reading your responses!
I've been on the volunteer department for about a year and-a-half now and have been taught some things by my fellow volunteers that have not been mentioned in class. This got me thinking. I've always heard that once you get out of the academy, it is just the beginning. And so I ask you this: What important lessons and methods have you learned that the fire academy just couldn't/didn't teach you? Maybe some of those things you wish you would have known when you first stepped into your job as a probie.
I also want to add real quick that over the year-and-a-half that I've been on the department, this website has been my single most valuable research tool. I've learned so much about the fire service from the articles and the forums, and I wanted to say thanks. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you people. Thanks guys, looking forward to reading your responses!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by J. D. Rinard on
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Well said :-)
Be Trainable and stay safe out there,
J.D.
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It was said by a fellow firefighter years ago that has kind of stuck with me. This fire certification thing is great but when i recieve my certificate that is when we start learning. What he was saying was like most have said here. Learn all you can in the academy. Get all you can from it. Ask questions. Don't feel stupid if you don't ask you can't learn. even if you have to ask 3 or 4 times ask till you understand. then when you graduate. This is when school begins. Keep learning. Never forget the lessons you learned. I wish you well and stay safe.
Be trainable and steay safe out there,
J.D.
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Permalink Reply by Howard Douglas on
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Well you heard right about getting out of the academy just being the begining. All the academy does is teach you the bottom line basics that you will need to perform effectively in a station enviroment. Your real training begins once you get into the station. Thats why even after graduating from the academy you are still a probie. As it has been said many times after graduating from the academy you know just enough to get you or someone else killed. As you well know you can be considered a probie for years depending on your performance and knowledge level. Basically until someone with less experience comes into your station you will continue to be a probie.
But back to the academy. The academy is almost like bootcamp in the military. It serves a dual purpose. The first is to give you the most basic skills and knowledge that you need to posesse to build a succesful career on to calling yourself a professional. The other purpose is as a screening proccess. While going through the academy you are purposely put into stressful situations to see how you will function. If you cannot handle these stressful situations in a controlled enviroment such as the academy or boot camp. Then you are not going to handle them in an uncontrolled enviroment as an emergency or battle.
After graduating from the academy and spending sometime in the station enviroment you will come to find the differences in what you were taught verses how things are actually done in the field. There are many things that fall under this category for various reasons. Whether it be the response area you are in, or the types of calls you respond to that previous experience has dictated a different way of handling it verse what you were taught. A perfect example would be CPR. When taught in class you do your compressions then pause for the breaths to be given. Whereas in the field (in my experience) 9 times out of 10 your are just constantly doing compressons with no pause and your partner counting your compressions and squezing the BVM at the appropriate time.
There is no academy that is capable of teaching you everything you need to know at 1 time. Due to time, money and other constraints it is impossible. Thats one of the great things about the fire service. There are so many different aspects of it that you can go into and specialize in that you can never know everything. There is always something else to learn. You come out of the academy with the basic knowledge of being a Firefighter. But from there you can be a Truckie, go into HAZMAT, Communications, specialize in different types of rescues, Health and Safety, Admin., Equip. Development and design, planning commities, Air Ops., Logistics, Finance, etc. etc.. So as you can see you will never come to learn everything. Being a Firefighter is an ever growing, ever adapting experience that lasts your whole carreer. I hope this helps. Good Luck.
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Permalink Reply by Sparky3317 on
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If you dont know ask, never guess
Something taught to me by my first advisor. If you dont know every tool location in a truck and they ask for a certain tool if you dont remember ask. Nothing worse than searching for a tool that you have no clue where it is and taking more time than required.
They may pick on you for a bit and give you a hard time for not knowing but Id rather ask than guess.
Stay safe and good luck in the academy
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