Never stop training and learning

I have been doing since we wore boots and long coats SCBA's weighted twice as much and had big thick hoses and a huge hot metal regulator on front. I remember fighting over bunker pants being a bad thing or how a pulse Ox on an ambulance was a stupid tool and Bi-carb was a first line Cardiac drug.

With that said I never stop learning or training and practicing I read what I can read I try new ideas I go to new training classes Last year I took a 140 hr confined space rescue class I am 6'2'' and 275 lbs this room is a confined space but I wanted to learn. I am RIT trained and certified and I find new ideas and toys for that all the time So in a nut shell if I ever feel like not training, learning and practicing I will get off the truck and never ride again.

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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on January 10, 2008 at 1:59pm

Funny, but years ago, a department near us got some new Scott 4.5s.
They took all of the waist belts off of them and went strictly with the shoulder straps.
They SAID that the waist belts were "too restrictive", but the truth of the matter was that they were all too fat and couldn't get the belt to SNAP. When it drug along the floor when they were on their hands and knees, they would hook it on all kinds of crap.
Hmmm. I guess it was restrictive. (wink)

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Betz on January 10, 2008 at 9:38pm

Wow, a topic from August 07 that is still alive, which means that it is a good topic. I've been at this job since 1979 (paid-on-call and career); so I can relate to all the "old folks" and war stories. I am a company officer as well as our training officer and still have a real desire to do this job efficiently, which means staying current with todays job. I get so frustrated with the older guys and gals who, in my opinion, are fighting these issues:
1 Tired and worn out
2 Been there, done that, don't need to train anymore
3 Simply don't care, no pride
4 Too lazy, its easier to tell stories, or use influence in dept to stifle things.
5 I used to care, but the city/township made me this way (one of my all-time favorites)

I'm sure you all have more, but you get the idea. These are real for myself on some days also, but my feeling is that if I get to the point where I am just "showing up", instead of "stepping up", I will retire.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on January 11, 2008 at 12:16am

I coordinate one BAZILLION training classes every year (ok, maybe not a bazillion...but it sure feels like it some days)....and here's what I see at the training classes---

the young kids making a beeline for the front of the room, notebooks in hand, pens at the ready..and wanting to be the sponge......

then you have the old-timers, probably not active anymore, they sit behind the young guys....they're interested in what's going on, able and willing to hear something new, but not afraid to speak up and say "bullsh*t" if they think so...they don't take notes, but they're respectful of the instructor....a lot of them are fire police, so when we have a component of the class that applies there, you betchera$$ they pay attention

Then the ones that I fear for the most....the mid-timers....they have more than ten years experience, they have all the patches, the pins, the multiple radios, pagers, cell phones....and they sit in the back of the room with the holier-than-thou attitude...."I know this stuff already....what do I need to listen to YOU for??" ...they take cell phone calls during class, talk amongst themselves, and get up and walk in and out of the training room as if they were ADHD poster children.

My boss, who happens to be the chief of his own department when he's not running FASNY business said something the other day that stuck with me; we were talking about new tactics and thought processes that are being taught at fire academies across the state...and he said "Every time I think I know what I need to know to do my job, I'm proved wrong. I had two new recruits showing my members new methods of forced entry learned straight out of the academy, something I'd never even thought of, and I realized that it doesn't matter what color my hat is, there's always something new to learn".

I'll take the newbies and the old timers in one of my classes any day.

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Permalink Reply by Oldman on January 11, 2008 at 12:00pm

Man, we used to fight over who was riding the tailboard! Unless it was cold and raining. Stuffing the "elephant trunks" into our bunker coat instead of wearing the whole pack. Training was playing poker and left arm curls. It makes me wonder how I'm still here!