Training Section 5 It is a very exciting time in the Training Division as we continue to grow and explore new ideas, as do other departments around us. Training is one of the most influential areas of a healthy fire department organization. The following is and outline of a proposed ten-year plan. We believe it is important to refer back to where we have come from in order to make appropriate decisions as to where we need to be in the future. With that being said, the following is a reflection of the past three years of our Training Division. Growth First and foremost, we should reflect on our staffing increases over the past three to four years. In 1999, the staffing total was sixty-two members. By the year 2000, we had added twenty-five personnel, five of which were career hires. This made a grand total of eighty-seven active members. In 2001 we added fourteen personnel, two of which were career hires, for a total of ninety-six active members. In 2002 we added forty-four personnel, three of which were career hires, for a total of 126 active members. So far for 2003 we have added thirteen new personnel, none of which are career hires, to bring our current organizational staff total to 137. These figures show a forty-five percent increase in personnel. Prior to 2001, a Lieutenant was assigned to the Training Division under the direct supervision of the Assistant Chief. Since this time we have added a dedicated training officer to the ranks that has responsibility to coordinate all district training, health and safety functions. In addition, we have started the implementation of consolidation of training services between the city of Black Diamond and Fire District 47. Current Training Programs Encouraging our officers to pursue Fire Service degrees, leadership and development conferences, and monthly classes ensures those under them will in-turn be well trained.! Officer Training Officers are very instrumental in our department s training needs. All rated officers are required to be CBT and EMT instructors, and are asked to specialize in a certain area of our department s needs to be a reference for that operation, and to be used as a resource for instructional needs. While it is not mandatory for them to teach, it is our goal to find a topic that they have a passion for. (For example: Lt. Terry Brown specializes in investigation and therefore can be asked to administer such a topic for the recruits or other members of the organization.) In the last two years, our officers have traveled to a number of conferences, both in and out of state, to bring back the most recent fire related information. This has been a much needed spark for training and the learning environmental health of our organization. We believe that if the leadership is well equipped and informed, the training and information should trickle down through our district. 83
The following are our recommendations for training programs: $ Continue to challenge our officer core to pursue higher education in the Fire Service degree programs $ Support officer development in out-of-district leadership and officer development conferences $ Continue to administer officer monthly classes and meetings within our district $ Continue to encourage our officers to participate in the development of our career and volunteer firefighters through instruction and presentation. Our department should continue to encourage all acting and probationary officers to obtain ODA (Officer Development Academy) certification. ODA is the King County standard for training new officers. The program is widely recognized and has been refined over the years to provide new officers with the knowledge they need to be successful on the street. We will also consider Officer II and III certification training in the future.! Career Firefighter Training New hires are hired with their Firefighter I and EMT prior to employment. This saves our district about three months of training and wages before the employee is qualified to start working and serving the community. The new recruit will still have up to a month of district, apparatus, equipment and policy and procedures training before they are qualified for assignment. New recruits are required to complete monthly training packets over their probationary period to assure and verify the recruit is competent and knowledgeable about the entire department and their responsibilities on the job. Upon completion of the probationary year, the employee moves into the career annual training requirements program. All career personnel are assigned an annual training objective book, which reviews all basic firefighting and EMT skills over the course of the year. The training books also identify new training classes and specialized training requirements as assigned by the Training Division. The shift officers insure all required training elements are being met and reviews the annual training books quarterly. Career Firefighter training also entails technical training that is obtained outside the organization. Some of this type of training addresses specialty topics such as special operations training in High/Low Angle Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, and extrication. Personnel that attend these types of classes then share what they learned with the rest of the shift and department. The annual training program used by our district is very effective and is the same type of program used throughout the South King County fire departments. We should continue to refine and use this type of training program. We should focus on additional hands-on training (H.O.T.). This type of training will be delivered in scenario type settings similar to what is expected during emergency scene operations. Scenario base training includes multiple topics and tasks that need to be addressed simultaneously. 84
The officers are tasked with size-up, action plan development, task assignment and prioritization and operational evaluation while personnel are carrying out multiple assignments.! Volunteer/Resident Firefighter Training Volunteer Recruit Academies are conducted twice a year in a joint venture between Black Diamond Fire Department, King County Fire Protection District 47 and our department. The Volunteer Fire Academy is a three month long program conducted during weekday evenings and on Saturdays. Personnel must complete the academy before being eligible for assignment to a shift. The Volunteer Fire Academy address all basic Firefighter I requirements and additional training requirements, as outlined in the Washington Administrative Code 296-305 Firefighter Safety Standards. The Firefighter Safety Standards require all personnel to be trained in the performance of their job before being permitted to conduct that type of work on an emergency scene. Our department is reimbursed $150.00 by the State of Washington for each Volunteer Firefighter that completes basic Firefighter I training. Upon the competition of the Volunteer Recruit Academy, the new personnel are assigned to a shift with the senior volunteers. All volunteer personnel are assigned annual training requirement books, much like those of the career Firefighters annual training program. The career staff is responsible for the education and training of the volunteer assigned to their shift. The volunteer shift personnel drill one to two hours a night when on duty. The career staff conducts some of these training sessions, and the senior volunteers conduct the rest of them. The Training Division schedules and assigns training subjects and instructors on Wednesday night drills to insure that the required training is offered. The annual training books allow each individual to track their own progress and make up the required training that they may have missed. The volunteer recruit academy and annual volunteer training program is very effective in meeting required training standards and maintaining the volunteer s knowledge and competence. We should allocate additional funding to the volunteer program to provide specialty instructors on certain subjects and provide addition support staff to the Training Division in order to maintain high quality training. Our Training Division should also plan to provide basic leadership tactic and strategy training for all senior volunteers. The senior volunteers are currently functioning as the officers at our volunteer satellite stations in the evenings. This provides for a riding officer on apparatus that will often times arrive at the scene of emergencies prior to the career staff. It is in the best interest of our department to insure these individuals are appropriately trained to make good and appropriate decisions concerning the initial actions at emergency scenes. The senior volunteers should be provided the opportunity to become Fire Service Instructors I because they are used to assist with the volunteer fire recruit academy and provide instruction to their colleges when on-duty, and when the career staff is not available. Fire Service Instructor I is a requirement of our career Lieutenants, due to their responsibilities to provide training to their shift personnel. 85
! Neighboring Fire Department Training Black Diamond Fire Department, King County Fire Protection District 47 and our department have been conducting joint volunteer recruit schools and are participating in weekly evening drills. The benefits of our joint venture are show in better trained and qualified volunteer Firefighters serving all three communities. All three departments are using the same standards and are learning the same basic skills, which provides for a safer and more efficient operation on emergency scenes that involve all three departments. We recommend the following in regards to neighboring fire department training: $ Continue to work with the neighboring fire departments to standardize all volunteer Firefighter training $ Work to consolidate the three departments training divisions into one $ Use the funding that is saved by the consolidation to reinvest in the volunteer training programs. New Training Technology New training programs are beginning to use new technology making training easier and more realistic than ever. We anticipate the national standards and classes for FFI, FFII and Officer I, II, III and IV, as well as general college and management courses, and hopefully the National Fire Academy, will go to on-line CBT written lectures and testing, just as the county has done. We should also be prepared to teleconference with our neighboring departments and, more importantly, the larger ones such as Kent and Renton as they are already doing. The training resource potential will be unlimited at that point.! Training Facility Our department currently has one formal training classroom and a four-story training/hose tower located at station 81. The training/hose tower was constructed as part of the station 81 apparatus bay only allowing for one side exterior access. The training tower is useful for basic ladder drills by one company at a time, and also provides for sprinkler training. This structure is very limiting for the current training needs of our department. The Training Division uses the North Bend Fire Academy for most live-fire training. This takes the personnel and apparatus about forty-five minutes out of the district for the duration of the training session. Our department, jointly with Black Diamond Fire Department and King County Fire Protection District 47, should pursue a joint venture to establish a Regional Training Facility at the Ravensdale Gun Range. This would be cost effective for a number of reasons, but mostly due to the theory of multiple agencies contributing and the land being secured on an extended lease via the county. The project would provide for multiple company operations, live-fire training, and could also provide our Maintenance Division with a draft pit for pump testing. The King County Sheriff s Office seems open to the concept. The King County Police currently operate out of this 660-acre area along with a couple of other shooting club organizations. The site is located at 26400 292 nd Ave SE in Ravensdale. 86
We propose securing land with the county on a 100-year lease at an insignificant amount, and constructing a training facility in a phase-in process over the next ten years. A ten-year development plan for this project could look something like the following, pending funding: $ Years 1-2 Secure property, develop a plan, and obtain permits. Site preparation would include water system, road improvements, water run off retention pond and small live-fire props on the grounds. $ Years 2-4 Construct drill ground. Phase 1 construction of the training tower would include constructing a draft pit (basement of the training tower), storage, bathrooms, search and rescue and live-fire props (first floor of the training tower). $ Years 5-6 Remodel station 82 to accommodate a joint Training Division of the three departments. Phase II construction of the training tower would include a second and third floor of the building. Additional props built in to the training tower would include additional live-fire, search and rescue, high angle rescue, ventilation and sprinkler props. $ Years 6-10 Additional burn/rescue buildings, confined space and trench rescue props, portable classroom and additional storage.! Staff Support Our training needs will grow as the district grows. Additional staff should be added as our budget allows. We currently have a Battalion Chief position assigned to the Training Division to perform all functions of the division. These functions include volunteer recruit school, annual volunteer training, career probationary training, annual career training, officer education, EMS training and certification, specialized training, out-of-district training and records management for all facets of the training. As our district grows, so do the training needs. Training insures our personnel are educated, competent in their skills and effective and efficient in carrying out emergency operations. The Training Division further reduces our liability through defensible documentation and, more importantly, improves our personnel safety in all they do. As our budget allows, an additional full time employee should be assigned to the Training Division to support the current programming. If the three departments consolidate their Training Divisions into one, funding from all three should be allocated to provide for a secretarial position. 87