Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
From the personal protective equipment e-Newsletter, sponsored by
Donning your personal protective equipment (PPE) may seem like a basic part of your everyday response procedure, but it is a skill that must be practiced nonetheless. Each of us gets into a regular routine getting equipment ready for the response and a set sequence of steps allows you to wear your gear properly.
Never take any shortcuts and always don all components of your PPE. The overlaps of the coat and pants is an engineered aspect of your gear design; take care when going from a standing to a seated position to keep the overlaps in place so that your SCBA will not bunch up over the coat and pants. Use this drill as an opportunity to improve this most basic skill.
Download this week’s firefighter training drill as a PDF HERE.
MAD Training and Response Solutions
Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1978 and retired as fire chief of the Tinley Park (IL) Fire Department in 2021. He has worked extensively in the areas of instruction, firefighter safety, and officer development and earned his Master of Science Degree in Public Safety Administration in 2004. He is the author of Fire Department Incident Safety Officer 4th edition (2025) and co-author of Fire Service Instructor Principles and Practices, now in its 3rd edition. Forest presents nationally on fire service leadership, safety, and instructor development. He was inducted into the Moraine Valley Community College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2020 and awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award in 2021. In 2008, he received the ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year, considered to be the highest recognition for fire service instructors in the nation.
