Articles

Computer Lab Accelerates Certifications in Neuces County


(from left) Chief Dale Scott and Deputy Chief Michael Richenberg use the learning lab at Neuces County Emergency Service District No. 2 

By Pat West
 
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Chief officers at Neuces County Emergency Service District No. 2 (ESD2) report the department’s new computer-based training system has accelerated state certifications of firefighters. Additional benefits include increased retention of experienced volunteers and reduction of instructor burnout, the chiefs say. 
 
Before the new system was installed, says Chief Dale Scott, “We were just stuck…. We were in a tailspin. The instructors were starting to burn out, covering the same thing over and over.”
 
As new volunteers joined, it normally took a year to get them certified with traditional classroom instruction. The experienced members were bored with training that had to cover the same territory for new recruits, Scott says.
 
Using Action Training Systems’ 2008 Edition of Essentials of Fire Fighting programs as part of the new system, the new recruits are able to study independently and complete state certification much more quickly -- as little as three months for Firefighter 1, says Deputy Chief Michael Richenberg, the training officer.
 
“It has given us the ability to expedite training and to get our guys up to speed and state qualified a lot faster than we’ve ever been able to do before,” Richenberg says.
 
Five recruits recently took the state certification tests for firefighter basic, intermediate and advanced, Richenberg noted. All five passed with flying colors. The members said they felt well prepared because Action Training Systems’ content matched up almost exactly with the questions they were asked in the state training exams. 
 
Neuces County ESD2 is one of five fire departments protecting the county in Corpus Christi. The department provides fire and rescue services to a suburban 78.9-square-mile area on the Gulf of Mexico with 20 volunteer members and two paid full-time members (the chief and deputy chief). It has one fire station, three fire engines, four brush trucks and two rescue boats.
 
The new computer lab is equipped with three laptops and the Iluminar Learning Management System (ILMS). In addition to the Essentials of Fire Fighting, system programs include Action Training Systems’ HAZMAT Awareness, HAZMAT Response, Pumping Apparatus: Driver/Operator, Fire Service Rescue, Rapid Intervention, Vehicle Extrication and the StageIT Emergency Response Simulator.
 
Each Monday assignments for computer training are posted on the firehouse bulletin board. Firefighters come in on their own schedule and study on the computers during the week. The following Monday, firefighters must present a certificate showing they completed the assigned course before they can attend hands-on training. “If they don’t have a certificate they get sent to the computer room,” says Scott. “It’s been really nice because everybody is trained to the exact same level.”
 
The cost of the computer lab was about $18,000. After being turned down for a grant from the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Scott successfully appealed to the county board of directors to fund the project.
 
Richenberg says the efficiency of the system is well worth the investment. He estimates 90 percent of firefighter training can now be done in house, which is saving department money because the cost of trying to get everybody up to speed by sending them out to area schools and state schools was much higher.
 
“We’re happy that we have it; it has made a huge difference,” says Richenberg. And, as is often the case in the fire service, they want to share their success with other fire departments.
 
“Come on out and see what we’ve got. I think you’ll be impressed,” says Scott.
 
For more information, contact Chief Scott via e-mail to chiefscott@stx.rr.com or call (361) 937-2646.

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ISFSI Live at FDIC: ATS is HOT Classroom Media

(from left)  Kevin Milan, Captain of Special Operations for the Parker (CO) FIre District; Douglas Cline, Chief of Eden (NC) Fire/Rescue; Troy Webster, Captain of the Florence (KY) Fire/EMS Dept. Not shown is Tim Sendelbach, former President of IFSFI and now Editor-In-Chief of Fire-Rescue magazine. 

By Pat West
 
INDIANAPOLIS -- A HOT (hands-on training) Workshop at the Fire Department Instructors’ Conference (FDIC) 2008 featured Action Training Systems content, simulation systems and the ILUMINAR Learning Management System in a demonstration of new media for classroom and computer-based training. The International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) gave the demonstration as part of a two-day Instructor Development Clinic April 7-8. 
 
“ In the fire service, we’re as good as anybody at hands-on training, but our classroom delivery methods haven’t kept pace. That’s why we’re here,” said Kevin Milan, captain of special operations for the Parker (Col.) District and president of the Colorado Training Officers Association. Milan’s copresenters were Tim Sendelbach, former president of ISFSI and editor of Fire-Rescue magazine; Troy Webster, captain of the Florence (Ky.) Fire/EMS Department; and Douglas Cline, chief of Eden (N.C.) Fire-Rescue.
 
Seventy-five fire instructors and chief officers from departments across the U.S.   and Canada participated in the workshop, which covered leadership and management issues, as well as how to tap into resources and funding for training firefighters. 
 
Milan began the ATS demonstration by opening “Manage It” in the ILUMINAR Learning Management System on a laptop while participants watched the projected image on two large screens. Participants followed Milan’s mouse clicks as he created a course instance and enrolled a student in the Essentials of Fire Fighting “Fire Behavior” program.
 
Milan liked the system’s flexibility. “I can take one course and deliver it to several different audiences,” Milan said. For example, the fire streams course can be tailored to firefighters, company officers, or apparatus engineers who each have different needs.  His own training content not included in ATS’ programs, or equipment specific to his department can be inserted.
 
Webster logged in as a student in “Learn It” to show what the course looked like from the student perspective.
 
Milan noted that ATS content was presented in short user-friendly sections. Webster incorrectly answered a test question in the “Fire Behavior” program to show how the system loops students back through the material until they answer test questions correctly.
 
Test questions and answers are also randomized to combat cheating, Milan noted. Another plus was that if the training session was interrupted, when students logged in again ILMS took them back to where they left off.   
 
On the other screen, Milan then went back to “Manage It” and demonstrated how he could see how far the student had gone through the course.
 
In the next part of the demonstration, Milan built a training simulation live in front of the class using “StageIT.” He opened the software and selected the elements he wanted in the simulation. He selected a residential house fire and placed the fire, smoke and special effects from the media library in the simulation. He discussed how to add pictures or video of local occupancies and equipment into the media library and how to network the simulation to any number of computers, showing the incident from different perspectives and at various stages.  
 
The instructors finished the demonstration of ATS products with First On Scene, a simulation program that enables firefighters to practice size-up skills.
 
The instructors noted that PowerPoint makes it easier than ever to imbed content from purchased CD-ROMs and DVDs into any instructor presentation.  Low-cost digital video cameras and editing software help leverage the value of off-the-shelf content from providers like ATS.  Webster said with his department’s own digital pictures, “I can customize my training so there is a little bit more pride in ownership in it. When [firefighters or recruits] see their equipment and their firefighters, they tend to pay more attention.”
 
ISFSI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the safety of firefighters through excellence in training. For more information, visit ISFSI’s Web site at www.isfsi.org.
 
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ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS Inc., based in Pouslbo, Wash., is a leading producer of multimedia interactive training programs for firefighters and first responders in North America. Established in 1988 and led by President and CEO George A. Avila  Jr., ATS has produced more than 80 courses and 200 fire service and terrorism response training products, including training on CD-ROM, DVD and video, as well as lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and simulation software and content.
 
All ATS training is instructionally designed to teach to current NFPA standards and provides excellent certification and re-certification test preparation. For more information about ATS, call 1 (800) 755-1440, e-mail info@action-training.com or visit www.action-training.com.
 
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Golden (Colo.)
CBT Investment Pays Dividends in Hands-On Training 

GOLDEN, Colo. (Nov. 8, 2006) -- Some fire service trainers see computer-based training (CBT) as a threat to hands-on training. The contrary is true, says Kevin Milan, division chief and training officer of the City of Golden Fire Department. His department’s investment in CBT by ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS, Inc. (ATS) has significantly increased hands-on training.
 
Golden launched Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Pumping Apparatus Driver/Operator and Fire Service Rescue -- a total of 50 ATS multimedia, interactive CBT programs --  in January 2005 on the ILUMINAR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ILMS). The system resides on the city’s secure server and delivers courses over a network to eight laptop computers in a former training room.
 
Milan lists many benefits of the system, but says the department has realized the most “bang for the buck” in the increased time for hands-on training. “Without increasing our overall training time, we’ve shortened our classroom instruction enough to spend 30 percent more time in hands-on drills,” he says. “This is re-energizing both our instructors and our firefighters.”
 
Officers assign precourse work for training sessions on the CBT system.  Firefighters enjoy being able to study independently when it fits their schedule, Milan says, and officers get firefighters who arrive more prepared for the drills.
 
A long-time customer of ATS programs, Golden’s trainers were already sold on the quality ATS’ NFPA-standards driven, instructionally designed content. “The content matches the NFPA standards, making it a great tool to prepare for state certification examinations. The contemporary apparatus and equipment in the visuals give the content relevance,” says Milan.
 
But the CBT system provides many new abilities. Training is more customized according to department and student needs. Firefighters are welcomed to the system with a custom start-up screen; one course can be delivered in several different levels; and trainers can provide access to the particular programs students need, whether they’re a new recruit, taking refresher training, or preparing to qualify for career advancement.  
 
An important feature is the ability to insert department-specific equipment into the modules, he says. “We cover the Coors/Molson Brewery, the largest single brewing facility in the world, so we have a heavy element of industrial firefighting,” Milan says. “A lot of our hoselays are specific to Coors. We use a three-inch hose, a water thief for an industrial lay, as well as other items you don’t find in off-the-shelf training programs. We also have an incredibly diverse district, with numerous high-angle and swift-water [rescue] calls.”
 
Golden, population about 20,000, is an 18-square-mile suburban city in the Denver Metro Area. The department has four stations staffed by 48 volunteers and 12 career employees.
 
“We’re definitely a department in transition. For a training officer, that creates a whole new set of challenges. We have to design training that can be delivered on the firefighter’s schedule, not necessarily on our schedule.” With so many new mandates for training firefighters, that challenge is growing all the time.
 
Milan, winner of a 2005 National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program Outstanding Research Award, says technology can help. His research project evaluated the effectiveness of Electronic Student Response Technology in a National Incident Management System course.
 
“I’m certainly not the only one out there doing this sort of stuff,” says Milan, “but if I do have a message, it’s that technology can help us be better trainers. It’s not a threat to what we do.”
 
For more information, contact Milan at KMilan@cityofgolden.net or call 303-215-8888
 
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SMALL TOWN--BIG RESULTS

Doug Baker, Assistant Chief, Searcy FD, Searcy, AR

By Kristin Knudson
 
Some refer to Searcy as a sleepy town, where things move a little slower... but their fires can prove to be just as fast, hazardous and deadly.  Big cities and big departments have big budgets for training, as well as the resources to produce live fire scenarios.  So how does Searcy ensure their heroes are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to keep their beloved town safe? 
 
Roaring house fires and hidden hazards-- It’s every homeowners nightmare and every responders shot of adrenaline.  The scene is full of thick smoke, shattering glass windows and fire pouring out every opening.  Seem a little dangerous?  Rest assured, everything mentioned above is performed in a controlled learning environment, electronically captured and reproduced on computers in the training classroom of Searcy Fire Department.
 
Doug Baker, Searcy’s one and only Training Officer relies on Action Training Systems, StageIT software to set-up realistic training scenarios for his force to react, respond and make educated decisions to successfully fight fires all the while recognizing potential hazards.
 
“We don’t have access to live fire burns for hands on training in our jurisdiction, and we don’t have the resources to take everyone out of service for drills all at once in order to keep skills up, so we needed another avenue and that’s where StageIT came in.”
 
With this software, Baker says “we can do better pre-fire planning and target hazards.” All 43 of his responders conduct pre-incident surveys of potentially mass casualty or hazardous commercial structures in their jurisdiction.  They look over the pre-fire plans and take pictures of different areas and buildings.  The pictures are used in the StageIT program where Baker sets up different fire scenarios for each team to work through.  With the ability to see how situations can play out in advance, the department can design well formulated pre-fire plans. 
 
“It takes our training to the next level and gives back to the community by helping them with their emergency evacuation plans.  It gets everyone on the same page and gets them thinking.” Baker says, “it’s easy to tell someone’ if you see brownish tan smoke it means the wood is untreated,’ but if I put it in the simulator, they can see it for themselves and identify it.  They are at the point where they are pointing out and identifying things on their own.”
 
Baker is very familiar with the challenges facing today’s training officer, regardless if they are from a big city or small town.  “I read from Fire Chief’s Magazine that we need to put information in front of a student 16.7 times for them to remember it because there is so much new stuff being thrown at them all the time.  StageIT gives us the ability to make sure the important stuff is retained.”  And that is proven in their schedule, Baker trains with a different crew three days a week, 24 on and 48 off.  It’s no wonder his responders are so well prepared, they are well trained.  In 2003 he received the Excellence Award from the Arkansas Fire Academy and in 2004 the NISOD Award for Inventive Training Techniques.
 
“It’s easy to tell someone ‘if you see brownish tan smoke it means the wood is untreated,’ but if I put it in the simulator, they can see it for themselves and identify it.”- Doug Baker, Training Officer Searcy Fire Department.
 
For more information, Doug Baker can be reached at: (501)279-1066 or by Email at: dbaker@cityofsearcy.org
 
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