Positive Learning...Not Ridicule

Mental therapy for me is sitting around with the men and women discussing the "job" and how we can effectively learn from each run and training scenario.  As with any incident, the most rewarding time for the Incident Commander, Company Officer, and Chief is when the "team" executes every play from the play caller. 

Training programs are essentially one of the most critical programs in any fire department.  Having a pro-active training plan can and will eliminate chaos on the fire ground as well as training evolutions.  The "Mission" of your organization should mandate what type of training plan and budget you should establish.  We often lose sight of why we are where we are, and what types of calls we really go to, which in turn creates a gap in what we should be learning.

As with any training plan and scenario...we should not forget that we are creating a learning environment for our team, not to ridicule or make fun of.  The goal here is to spend time with your team, explaining and showing why something works. 

Invest some quality time learning the goals of your department and what the weaknesses are.  When the plan comes together, so will the team.  Do not allow your training program to be a program where you just check the boxes.  After quality learning has taken place...executing the emergencies follow at lighting speed.

~Jeremy Rebok~