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Who Did You Light Today?

I am a big fan of quotes. It amazes me to see how eloquent many people have been over the centuries; how a few words can really say so much. One of my favorites is “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”These words are credited to several sources but most commonly to Father James Keller, a Catholic priest who wrote the bestselling book, You Can Change the World. It’s a pretty simple quote and one that tells me how we can all be an inspiration to others around us, and for the fire service, how each of us can be a teacher. Each of us has something we can offer to help train our brothers and sisters. I’ve said that a lot over the years. I believe it. Each of us has a role in training. Many people, it seems, dismiss it though. I wonder why? Sometimes it feels like training has been given a black eye in the past. Training is often equated to PowerPoint and the lecture hall; mandatory contact hours and repetitive subjects to meet some guideline. No one wants to be the bad guy who forces the members into the stiff and sterile classroom for yet another bulleted slide on PPE.

Maybe the idea that we should all be trainers strikes fear into the hearts of The Bravest. We all know that according to past surveys people fear public speaking more than they fear death. Are you afraid to get up in front of your brothers and sisters and pass on your valuable knowledge? Don’t be, you’re talking to family. I say it’s time to stop thinking about training as something the training officer does and time to start creating departments full of teachers. Here’s how you can start to light the candles around you;

1. Do it in short bursts. Many people have a fear of public speaking and talking to a group of your coworkers can be intimidating at first. Develop a 30 minute class on the subject that you love to train on and start there. Be sure it is meaningful and keep it fun. Include plenty of time for practice and hands on. What we do is a psychomotor sport. Train that way.

2. Know what you know, and know what you don’t. I work with a number of very competent builders and mechanics. I’m more of the demolition type. I’m sure I could develop and deliver a good building construction class but I would rather defer to the experts. That said, each of us has strength to share with the team. What do you know something about?

3. Develop the idea of the classroom with no chairs. The fire engine is our classroom, the building in our first due is our classroom, and the bay floor is our classroom. Try this drill. Stand in front of the rig with the rest of the members. Touch a compartment door with your hand and ask, what’s behind this door? If everyone knows, open the door and pull out one of the pieces of equipment that you haven’t used in a while. Hook it up, start it, flow water through it, put it on. Whatever that equipment is used for, do it. You’ll find a little bay time will lead to an interactive drill that means something big.

4. Teach while you are on a run. Recently I ran an alarm bells call in a high rise. As we entered the building I told the firefighters to start looking for the detector on the first floor while I went to the alarm panel. While I’d like to tell you that I knew the detector was on the first floor and not on the 10th floor before I saw the panel because I have ESP, it was just an old trick I was taught years ago. When you enter the building, if the elevator doors on a high rise alarm are open the problem is likely on another floor, if they’re closed the activated device is on the first floor. I took the opportunity to pass it on to a new group and it gave us an opportunity to talk about some of the other systems that are in place in these occupancies.

5. Use technology wisely. Take a look at one of tons of websites that have footage of fire scenes on line. Share your thoughts on what you see. Work as a group to size up the situation and read the smoke. Use pictures from the web or past incidents in your own district to work through some tactical situations. These are a few ideas to get you started on your trainer’s path. With a small amount of time and effort all of us can be our brother’s teacher as well as their keeper.

Who did you inspire today; who did you train?

Michael West has been a member of the fire service since 1982. He is a 4th generation firefighter who has instructed internationally at fire departments and conferences. Mike is a Captain with South Metro (CO) Fire Rescue. He has a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Colorado, and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science. Mike has written dozens of articles for fire service publications and websites and has contributed to several books as an author and technical advisor, Mike was awarded the 2006 Colorado Fire Trainer of the Year Award. He is an officer of Fired Up Training Services, LLC a fire training and consulting company and can be reached at m.west@fireduptraining.com .

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