Anything less than the department’s total commitment to its recruits is irresponsible.
BY ANTHONY AVILLO
The new firefighter’s first exposure to the fire department should leave an impact that will last for the firefighter’s entire career. The department will never get a second chance to make a first impression. This impression must be a positive one if the department’s intent is to create a firefighter who will become an asset to the department and the community. The process of developing such a firefighter begins with the department’s administration as the new firefighter works through the orientation period, is continued by the Training Division as the recruit receives initial training, and is further reinforced by the company officer to whom the probationary firefighter is assigned.
After hiring, a firefighter becomes a recruit firefighter until he graduates from an established fire academy or the department’s Training Division. From there, the recruit becomes a probationary firefighter for the balance of the first year on the job. It is imperative that every experience recruits encounter during this period be a positive learning opportunity.
The old saying “Fail to plan; plan to fail” applies. A fire department must be ready to welcome new firefighters and make them confident that their needs will be met. Anything less than the department’s total commitment to its recruits is irresponsible. This commitment starts with a structured, well-organized plan that will build trust, security, and confidence. If the department can’t get it together in the soft environment of the orientation period, what can it expect during a major emergency? The department is obligated to provide the best and most comprehensive orientation possible for recruits to provide confidence and competence to those who will put their lives on the line. A well-organized and disciplined department creates disciplined and competent firefighters.
Preparing for the new hires must begin well in advance of their being sworn in. Conducting credible interviews, administering thorough physical and psychological tests, issuing equipment, and fitting masks as well as going through a mountain of legal paperwork are just a few of the details that must be addressed.
Preparing for new hires may also include providing “reasonable accommodation” for female firefighters, especially departments hiring female firefighters for the first time. In career departments, this means providing appropriate facilities in regard to sleeping, personal hygiene, and changing or locker areas. It may be necessary to renovate existing facilities to comply with legally mandated requirements. All this must be thought out well in advance. The day the recruits are being sworn in is not the time to be scrambling to arrange for the required accommodations.
RECRUIT FIREFIGHTER ORIENTATION PERIOD
Essentially, the entire department must focus on assisting the recruits in making a smooth transition from civilian to firefighter. Recruits are the department’s most important resource and should be treated as such. The department should be supportive and accommodating. Appointing a recruit liaison officer to serve as the recruits’ contact will help ensure that recruits’ needs are met (if the recruit class is large, the department may have to assign a staff to assist in these duties). The liaison officer must be reliable; detail-oriented; well-prepared; organized; and, above all, patient. He should be able to “take care of business” and be available to answer questions, explain scheduling, and explain to the recruits what to expect in the year ahead.
The orientation period usually starts immediately after the swearing in of the new recruits. Planning is essential. Little details left unattended can turn into big problems. The orientation period, no matter how long, should be filled with worthwhile activities, not just time-killing busywork. Additional paperwork has to be completed, information must be disseminated, and equipment must be issued. A flexible schedule that allows for contingencies should be established for each day.
The orientation schedule generally includes the following:
- Make recruits aware of department orders, directives, and guidelines, which usually involve an intimidating mountain of paperwork and fire service jargon. There may be time to explain in detail only the most important areas represented in the distributed materials; however, make clear to the recruits that they will be responsible for all the information in the issued documents and, therefore, must read all the materials thoroughly. Recruits should sign for the documents, acknowledging that they understand that they will be held accountable for all the information. Encourage recruits to note the informational areas they do not understand and to ask their questions in subsequent sessions.
- Inform recruits that they are responsible for any equipment issued and will be held accountable for lost, damaged, or misused items. It is a good idea to have the recruit put his name or initials with a permanent black marker in a specified spot on all equipment as soon as it is issued.
- Impress on recruits the rules and the responsibility of representation. Help them to understand that they are now firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and that they represent the department at all times, whether on-duty or off-duty. As such, they are held to a higher standard than the ordinary citizen. For instance, if they get into an altercation that requires police involvement, they can be sure the press will get hold of the story. In the newspapers, it will say, “Firefighter Smith was involved in the altercation,” not “Joe Smith.” Make it clear that they will be held accountable for all their actions, on- and off-duty.
Vital concepts to cover during the orientation period include the following:
- Department rules and regulations. Recruits cannot possibly begin to conduct themselves properly if they don’t know what is expected of them. The department’s rules and regulations are basically the law in regard to the fire service game. As these guidelines can be quite comprehensive, the recruit liaison officer should point out those regulations that will affect the new recruit from day one.
- Chain of command. Make recruits understand that the fire department is a quasimilitary organization that follows a definite hierarchy. Explaining this hierarchy, as well as the principle of the superior-subordinate relationship, will help recruits to understand their place in the organization. Acquaint recruits with the concept of the chain of command and the parameters by which it operates. Distributing and explaining the department’s table of organization will illustrate how the recruit fits into the organization, explain the difference between line and staff functions, and promote an understanding of the concepts of unity of command and span of control. The organizational table may also help them understand the concepts of the incident command system in subsequent training.
- Orders. Orders are issued to get a task accomplished and to provide control in a situation that is not yet under control. However, one of the main reasons officers issue orders is safety. In the case of the “inexperienced” firefighter, the officer must remember that dangers the seasoned firefighter recognizes may go unnoticed by the novice. The officer’s primary responsibility is to protect assigned personnel. This responsibility is even more critical when a probationary firefighter is involved. Orders must be followed to the letter. There are no choices when an order is issued. Recruit firefighters must be made to understand that the fire service, especially on the fireground, is not a democracy. It is an autocracy.
Discuss the manner in which orders are issued. On the fireground, orders are direct-and rightfully so. There is no room for discussion or contemplation. There is no choice. Other orders, such as those given in the fire station, may not be issued with the same urgency, but recruits must be taught that they are orders nonetheless. For example, an officer might say to the firefighter, “Do me a favor, could you empty that mop bucket?” The order may sound like a request and might imply that the firefighter has a choice, but he doesn’t. When it comes to the superior-subordinate relationship, there is no such thing as a request. Despite the friendly tone, the firefighter still was ordered to empty the bucket. If he does not comply, the officer’s tone in subsequent orders may become progressively harsher. Firefighters who understand that they have been issued an order will keep themselves out of trouble by complying while the atmosphere is still friendly. It is the department’s responsibility to ensure during the orientation period that new firefighters can recognize an order, regardless of the forum in which it is issued.
- Discipline. Discipline often is perceived as having negative implications. When the issue of discipline is explained properly, firefighters will realize that discipline does not have to be negative. Make recruits aware of three types of discipline:
-Self-discipline. The firefighter brings this to the job. Getting to work on time and being in proper uniform are examples. The firefighter, especially at this point in his career, should be self-motivated to do this. Other examples, after orientation is concluded, would be following rules and regulations and doing what is expected according to the department’s code of behavior.
-Positive, also called “preventive.” This is used to change, modify, and guide a firefighter’s behavior by introducing constructive steps to solve a performance-related problem. Training and education are examples. If a rule is broken, the first step should be education. Teach the firefighter what the rule is, what the underlying reasoning behind it is, and why it was wrong to break it. Sometimes, the rule is intended to “save the firefighter from himself.” Taking a proactive position when discipline is still at the positive end of the scale can prevent additional problems and the need for negative discipline. Focus the organizational eye on education, guidance, coaching, and counseling-in essence, nurturing the fledgling firefighter. When the organization invests time and energy in positive discipline, it becomes a proactive organism that exponentially reduces the need for negative discipline. The goal of the officer is to keep the discipline on the positive side until all other avenues of compliance have been exhausted.
-Negative. This is the dark side, the last card played. When negative discipline is levied, everyone loses. Negative discipline, when compared with positive discipline, is a misdirection of everyone’s time and energy. The severity of negative discipline can range from a written reprimand to termination. Usually, discipline is progressive and largely dependent on a pattern of unacceptable behavior or the severity of an infraction. Each penalty is a step harsher than the previous one; the hope is that the firefighter’s behavior will change. Generally, the severity of the punishment should be that which is most appropriate for achieving the behavioral change. The goal of negative discipline is not to punish but to bring someone who has lost his way, so to speak, back into the fold, in line with the department’s goals and mission.
Recruit firefighters must understand that departmental discipline is essential to protect the best interests of the department and its members, which, in turn, helps them to better serve the community they are sworn to protect.
All members start out with a clean slate. Education regarding discipline is often neglected. When firefighters are in the infancy of their career, addressing all aspects of discipline in a constructive and proactive manner may prevent many problems later-and, in fact, is an example of positive discipline.
INITIAL TRAINING PERIOD: FIREFIGHTER I
The department should have a comprehensive and easy-to-understand plan for taking recruit firefighters from the first day of recruit training to company assignment. The plan should include the following:
- Ground rules. These rules spell out what recruits should expect and what the department expects of them during the initial training period. Recruits must know what time to report and where. If the recruits will attend an outside training facility, acquaint them with the rules and regulations of that facility and give directions to the facility in advance. If physical training (PT) is to be part of the training regimen, tell the recruits what it will entail and which clothing items to bring.
- Class schedule. Many recruits will be apprehensive about what will happen during the initial training period. Presenting a comprehensive overview of training period activities will allay their anxiety. Give recruits before the first day of training a syllabus covering the training schedule and curriculum and a schedule of reading assignments so they can prepare for each day’s training.
- Dress code. In some departments, recruits do not have to wear station uniforms during the training period because the garments, which are expensive, can be damaged. However, the department should still set the parameters for a dress code. All recruits should dress alike to foster the team concept and develop the group image that is a very large part of the fire service tradition. If, for example, recruits are to wear navy sweatshirts, sweatpants, and baseball caps, all with department insignia, during the training, tell them beforehand. Also tell them where to purchase these items. Tell recruits that deviation from this standard, for any reason, will not be tolerated.
- Curriculum. Firefighter I covers a wide variety of topics, all of which are important. The following, however, are three interdependent critical areas that together represent the foundation and the core of the profession.
-Firefighter safety. The overriding concern of all fire department operations is safety. As stated earlier, education fosters prevention. Make recruit firefighters understand the inherent dangers of the fireground. Most firefighter deaths and injuries are preventable. Many casualties occur because of a lack of awareness and ignorance of or apathy toward proper safety precautions. The first two can be addressed at the educational level. A department can reduce or eliminate apathy by practicing safety in all operations and procedures and enforcing safety as the number one priority.
You can have the greatest impact on firefighter safety during this initial training period. Take every advantage of this opportunity while the recruits are being molded as firefighters. It is much easier to identify and correct a potentially unsafe habit during the training period than later.
-Fire behavior. In the book The Art of War, Sun-Tzu states, “Know well thine enemy.” The best way to defeat the enemy-in this case, fire-is through knowledge. Lack of knowledge in this area has led to death, injury, and conflagration. Fire behavior is a science and is the basis of all firefighting operations. Knowing and understanding such concepts as the fire tetrahedron will allow a firefighter to forecast and take proper actions regarding fire growth, fire spread, and heat transfer. The lessons learned in fire behavior in the first few days on the job will lay the foundation on which the career will be built.
-Building construction. Fire is the opponent; the fire building is the arena in which the battle is waged. It is more important to know the building that is on fire than to know the fire that is in the building. A firm grasp of building construction will allow the firefighter to forecast fire spread based on construction characteristics. A comprehensive understanding of building construction enables the firefighter to counter fire spread with an arsenal of fire service weapons designed to
- access the fire area (forcible entry),
- cut off the fire (hose placement),
- recognize avenues of occupant egress/refuge (search/rescue),
- confine fire and release its hazards to a less harmful area (ventilation),
- predict where fire will hide (overhaul), and
- reduce damage (salvage).
In addition, a comprehensive knowledge of how buildings are put together and how they react to fire will also help you understand how they fall apart.
Once these subjects are understood, firefighting tactics make more sense from the perspectives of whys and when they are done. The fire service instructor must ensure that recruits completely understand the concepts inherent in these subjects.
Encourage firefighters fresh out of the academy or the Training Division to continue their education throughout their careers. A good idea is to give them a book list ranging from simple tactical texts to those on more complex subjects such as fireground strategy and a list of additional classes they can take to expand the body of knowledge they have acquired.
New firefighters should understand early that this is a profession for the information-rich and that their career will be a continuous training experience.
- Motivation and rewards. Firefighter training at all levels should be as success-oriented as possible, but at no time is this more important than during the first year of a firefighter’s career. When the recruits are successful, the Training Division is successful, and the entire department reaps the benefits of this success. Establish a system of motivating and rewarding the first-year firefighter based on accomplishment and professional pride. This approach helps to motivate by providing goals and subsequent visible, self-esteem enriching rewards.
You can enforce the clothing standard while at the same time boost morale and recruit pride by printing and issuing a T-shirt with the department logo and “Class of 2001.” The shirt can also be printed with an appropriate motivational slogan such as “Newest of the Bravest,” “The Tradition Continues,” or something similar. The slogan should reflect the attitude the department is trying to establish. “Probie Dog” T-shirts are counterproductive and don’t make it in the morale department.
The T-shirt establishes the new members as a group from the start. For a group of individuals who may have nothing in common except their new badge, this could be the beginning of the all-important team concept, a sort of “we’re in this together” type of feeling. It is the department’s responsibility to create and foster this image. Also, if the recruits are not permitted to wear the “regular” department T-shirt until after the initial training period, it creates a reward the recruit will receive as a result of hard work and achievement.
Another system that works well involves the helmet shield. When the recruits report to the Training Academy, their helmet shield is empty except for their last names, which are printed on a white label and affixed to the center of the shield. Once the initial training period is over and the recruit is assigned to a company, the label is replaced with a probationary firefighter shield, which he wears for the rest of the first year. On his completion of that year, the shield is replaced with the company number, signifying that he has reached an important goal. These seemingly small steps are important; they provide motivation and help keep goals in sight.
COMPANY ASSIGNMENT-THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD
The probationary period is the time when all the training and education are brought out into the street. Once out of the academy, probationary firefighters are assigned to a company officer, who will guide them through their first year. Again, the department must have a clear plan that guides the probationary firefighter and the company officer to whom the recruit is assigned. The department and the Training Division in particular should support the company officer to ensure consistency in the probies’ training schedule.
The departmental plan should also ensure that the company officer be prepared for the probationary training period. Before the company officer is given the probationary firefighter assignment, it would be an excellent idea for the department to deliver a training-related course such as the National Fire Academy’s Instructional Techniques for Company Officers or an equivalent educational methodology course. The Training Division should also meet with all the company officers who will be receiving probationary firefighters to ensure everyone will be working off the same script. The Training Division should establish the training objectives, answer any questions, and provide any support required during the probationary period. This provides consistency across the department.
APPARATUS QUALIFICATION PROGRAM
One program our department uses to foster departmental consistency in developing training goals, instructing, and monitoring recruits’ progress is the Probationary Firefighter Apparatus Qualification Training Program in which the probationary firefighter apparatus qualification training form is used to establish the skills and knowledge a probationary firefighter must acquire and master for proficiency in operating an apparatus. In most departments, probationary firefighters are initially assigned to an engine company.
The Training Division should have an engine-specific apparatus qualification form that can be used as a guide in scheduling the probie’s training activities and determining when he is able to operate as an engine chauffeur (pump operator). In this way, all of the officers responsible for training a probationary firefighter will work toward that goal in a consistent manner.
The form should be in a check-off format and should have listed on it all the tasks the probationary firefighter must master to qualify to operate a particular piece of apparatus-an engine in this case. The list would include the following: standard operating procedures, general orders, prefire plans, initial scene assignment’s familiarity with the apparatus’ tools and equipment, familiarity with the response area, advancing hose, supplying an attack line, supplying a pumper, supplying a master stream, supplying a siamese, ground ladders, driving, and safety matters. These, along with any other department-specific training criteria, must be included on the form.
The company officer, when satisfied that the probie has met the criteria of a particular item on the form, signs off on that component. Once all the tasks on the form have been mastered, the probie is considered to be qualified to operate as a chauffeur. The same procedure is used for aerial devices, rescue companies, and any other special apparatus the department uses. Departmental consistency is the key.
The department must guide a probationary firefighter through the all-important first year. The best way to do that is to have a plan in which the entire department is involved. If a firefighter becomes a liability instead of an asset, it is the department’s fault, not the firefighter’s. Somewhere along the way, the department failed. If the path of that failure could be traced, it’s a good bet that it began during the firefighter’s probie days.
Thanks to Chief Ed Flood for his input on this article.
