Fire Service Instructor 1 here I come!

Passed my Fire2 Monday, I am ECSTATIC! Taking my Instructor 1 on the 26th of this month.I'm thrilled! I've been reading a book and taking a test on it at the end of the month since january and I've been blessed enough to have passed all of them on the first try. After I (hopefully) pass my instructor 1 I'm going to take a little break. I'm all tested out. I still want to get my officer 1 and instructor 2, and then my driver/operator-pumper. But those can wait til the end of the year. Just had to let this all out, I'm so excited!!!!
LOGUE

[EDITED 5/19/09]
Just so everyone who decided to post on this for future reference. I have no intentions of becoming an Instructor right now. I don't want to be a captain/chief/etc. right now. I'm just ambitious and enthusiastic about furthering my education right now. I want to be on the end of a hose and atop a ladder and at the pump panel for atleast a good 10yrs. I enjoy hands on training and gaining the experience I need to be a better firefighter. I just want to knock out my bookwork/certifications/tests right now while I'm still young. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Trainer on May 14, 2009 at 7:20am

Congratulation!!!
Man does this bring back memories. 20 years ago, I had been on the dept for 3 years when the chief said you are going to be an instructor…my course in the fire service was set, so off to instructor class I went, what an eye opener. You have to remember that at this point in time we were just coming out of the good-ol-boy days, so when the instructor told us to use our essentials manual I had to ask what was that, it’s funny now. Anyways the other funny thing was when I finished and went to get my cert they said I need to be FF II….shit, no one told me that! Well I spent the next 2 ½ years going to the local JC every Wednesday night for that 240hrs cert, but it was all worth it, put your certification to good use.

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on May 14, 2009 at 8:34am

Your desire to advance is fantastic. But I think you're trying to get too much book learning in too quickly. FF! and now just finished FF2 and about to do the Instructor 1? And then early next year you want Officer 1, Instructor 2 and then Driver/operator-pumper? Too much, too soon, with too little experience. Sorry mate, I really think you need to do the job for a while and really learn about what you have the bits of paper for.

Interesting profile you have too.

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Permalink Reply by FETC on May 14, 2009 at 8:46am

Jonathan,

Glad to hear your excitement for taking classes. That is always a good time in the firefighters career. Everything is new, really want to get as much as you can.... as fast as you can. Good times!

May I suggest though, for the betterment of you and your career. I would recommend taking the classes that are suited for firefighters. I just had a situation in my own department, in which a new firefighter completed every firefighter class he could and then went straight into fire officer, instructor, NFA leadership classes. He even told people he wanted to be the youngest chief in history of our department.

Mentor time: Now I said to him, he would be better served to concentrate on being a great firefighter, master his craft, be the edge of technology and training for being a progressive firefighter. Now right off the top of my head I can think of EVOC, Pumps 1 and 2, Safety/Survival/RIT, Associates Degree Fire Science, etc.

Testing for FF2 this week and taking an instructor class immediately affords you no field experience. Most academies and training centers have minimum time served before being accepted into the instructor programs. Most FF 1 and 2 curriculum have very little real fire control in them.

I told my guy during his evaluation that moving right onto leadership/officer classes... will definately make him more educated firefighter but in turn will make him less experienced today. Why? while he is taking, studying, and concentrating on the advanced leadership classes, he more than likely be missing valuable time to experience being a great firefighter on the floor, on the truck and in the field. The agrument ensued with I can do both, and the reply I had was when the time comes to align yourself for an officers position, he would have lost more information about the leadership and officer class because he took them years ago and had no forum to actually practice the art of leadership.

New guys especially in the paid department need to put in the time, earn the respect of their peers, and be the probie... not come in take everything and attempt to influence change from the day he or she started. It doesn't happen that way around here... My department requires 5 years of paid service at OUR department, (I transferred here with many paid years of service, officer rank) took a probie position and had to wait to test for Lieutenant.

I suggested to him, in our case... the guy who aligns the leadership classes on year 3 or 4 are better suited to remember everything learned (fresh) during the testing period, be made and then carryout the training in which he had fresh in his head.

Congrats on the accomplishment, best of luck
FETC

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Permalink Reply by Station10Capt106 on May 14, 2009 at 9:33am

Congrats on FF2 and for your drive and ambition to become an instructor. Like the others said, make sure you don't get ahead of yourself too much. The leadership classes are great, but you must first become a great firefighter, nothing wrong with wearing that black hat for a while.

I was on our dept for almost 12 years before I took my instructor classes. Before that I took every hands on class I could take from extrication classes to firefighter survival to rural water supply. Make sure you get the basics down first. Now just because you don't have an instructors cert doesn't mean you can't help with your departments training. I did that for years too under the wing of some of the older guys.

Regardless, I wish you the best of luck and congratulations again.

John

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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on May 14, 2009 at 3:45pm

Jonathan

I think it is great that you are learning and want to advnce and even teach. I also agree with others that there is a time to learn and a time to teach. From what I can get from your post, most of what youve done is take classes. You need to have experience to teach. It sounds as though you can teach mostly from the books you have just learned from. I have found that the best teachers, especially in something like the fire service are those who have actually done the job.

give it some time bro...there will always be those around to teach!

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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on May 14, 2009 at 3:54pm

lol...some of the old officers as well!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on May 15, 2009 at 10:48pm

I'm mainly getting my instructor 1 for my officer 1 cert, the reason I want instructor 2 is because here in lousiana, LSU-FETI requires you to be an instructo 2 to be able to evaluate someone for their practicals. And my department doesn't have anyone who is instructor 2 certified so I decided to take on the task. But I can teach from what I've learnedin the past and from readin out of a book and putting it into use. Anyone can be a teacher. But I do appreciate the comments. And just to restate it, I've been on the ball knocking out all of my certs as soon as possible so that when the time comes I will be better suited for promotions after I have gained the experience.

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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on May 15, 2009 at 10:55pm

GET IT BRO!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on May 15, 2009 at 11:09pm

thanks man!
TCSS

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on May 16, 2009 at 12:28am

Jonathan, I have to disagree with you here. "Anyone can be a teacher." That is so very wrong! I know people who think they can teach simply because they have the bit of paper - teaching is more than that. "I can teach from what I've learnedin the past and from readin out of a book and putting it into use" is also not the way good instructors do it, not in this field and not in many others either. Perhaps Maths teachers, perhaps. Not the fire service, this is an area where understanding of what actually happens is what is needed after the book learning. Or do you think that standing with your back to the class and reading what the overhead is displaying on the screen is teaching? If you do, then sorry mate, it isn't.

That you are trying hard to make up a shortfall in your FD is laudable, but really the FD should be addressing that shortfall correctly.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on May 16, 2009 at 10:15pm

Hey man its all good that you passed your Fire2 and you should continue to expand your knowledge but I think your wasting your time with instructor and officer certs right now.....I mean really fresh out of fire 2 what are you gonna teach someone??? I have been in 12 years and still only know enough to teach on a limited variety of topics....keep learning but learn about being an expert engine company firefighter then learn how to be an expert truck company firefighter then you should transition to the officer work and instructor work. Just my opinion. Good luck and keep learning.