Press Releases

IFSTA Launches Sale of Computer-Based Training by Action Training Systems

IFSTA and Fire Protection Publications of Oklahoma State University today launched the sale of computer-based training by Action Training Systems
of Poulsbo, Wash. The step is the latest progression of a decades-long relationship between the leading publisher of fire service training manuals and
the leading producer of video-based training media for firefighters.


"IFSTA has been the world's largest provider of fire service
training materials since their formation in 1934"

STILLWATER, Okla. (PRWEB) July 25, 2011

More than 100 computer-based training (CBT) and simulation programs produced by
Action Training Systems Inc. (ATS) are now available from Fire Protection Publications (FPP) of
Oklahoma State University, the world’s leading publisher of fire service materials and
headquarters for the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA).

IFSTA and ATS have collaborated for many years in developing multimedia content for ATS products. IFSTA/FPP editors and committee members often serve as subject matter experts for
ATS content. ATS programs provide full motion video demonstrations of job skills and teach to the same standards as IFSTA-validated manuals
published by FPP.

“Adding Action-Training Systems computer-based training programs to our product line is a natural extension of the
excellent partnership that IFSTA/FPP and Action Training Systems have enjoyed for more than 20 years,” said IFSTA
Executive Director Mike Wieder. “Both organizations are the recognized leaders in their respective areas of the fire
service training world.”

“We continue to work with IFSTA to bring new products to the fire service
community and to provide effective total training solutions,” said ATS
President and CEO George Avila. “This is just another way of doing that.”
 
Firefighter training CBTs now carried by IFSTA/FPP include The Essentials of Firefighting,
Emergency Medical Responder, Hazmat (Response, Decontamination and Awareness)
 Driver/Operator (Pumping Apparatus and Aerial Apparatus), Fire Officer 1,Incident Safety
Officer, Vehicle Extrication, Fire Service Rescue and Rapid Intervention, and First On Scene
Simulation Courses. 

IFSTA will also carry the new 23-part ATS CBT series for the industrial sector, Industrial Fire
Brigades: Incipient Level and Industrial Fire Brigades: Exterior & Structural, which make excellent
teaching companions for IFSTA industrial manuals.

Fire Protection Publications, a department of Oklahoma State University, is headquarters for IFSTA,
an association of fire service personnel dedicated to upgrading firefighting techniques and safety
through training since 1934. IFSTA’s volunteer committees of technical experts meet each July to
address current standards of the NFPA and other standards-making groups as they apply to IFSTA
validated manuals.  

Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company and worldwide leader in providing
innovative training systems for emergency responders. The company provides quality video
demonstrations on DVD as well as interactive CBT (computer-based training) and scoreable
simulation courses that run on the Iluminar Learning Management System (LMS) software platform.
All programs are reviewed by renowned subject matter experts who are consulted from inception to
the production of the final video. 

Action Training Systems produces training programs for firefighters in the private and public sector based on nationally accepted training standards and
only uses real fire and emergency personnel to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the skills that are demonstrated and captured on video.

IFSTA/FPP has been the world’s largest provider of fire service training materials since their formation in 1934. FPP is a non-profit auxiliary enterprise of
the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.  For more information on IFSTA/FPP, see
www.ifsta.org





Contact Information:
Pat West
(919) 550-0799
patw@action-training.com

The Puyallup Extrication Team & Action Training Systems Team Up For Innovative Firefighter Training

When it comes to teaching innovative vehicle extrication procedures on an incident scene, there are no better expert trainers than The Puyallup Extrication Team (PXT), a non-profit education group of professional firefighters and vehicle experts based in Puyallup, WA. Action Training Systems is not  only a PXT sponsor, they rely on PXT’s exceptional knowledge and experience as technical advisors and for technique demonstrations on ATS’ DVD and CBT classroom training programs, including their seven-course Vehicle Extrication series.

September 21, 2011 (POULSBO, Wash.) Every day across America and Canada, there are hundreds of vehicle collisions which often leave citizens trapped inside and in need of emergency care. There are techniques our emergency responders must be proficient in to safely extract the trapped or injured occupants of the vehicles as well as keep themselves and other responders safe on the incident scene.

Firefighters need the type of real-life, hands-on training that can only be delivered by professional trainers like PXT. While they are internationally recognized for their skills in TERC and WRO auto extrication competitions, the primary mission for PXT is to increase the skill and knowledge of firefighters and first responders so they may share in enhanced emergency capabilities and protection. This call to action is exemplified by long-time PXT members like Jeff Pugh.

Jeff Pugh is one of the original members of PXT and serves as a lead instructor and President of the organization. He started in the fire and rescue industry in 1984 as a volunteer and was hired in 1993 by Puyallup Fire & Rescue, which merged with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue in 2009. Pugh currently holds the position of lieutenant. Wearing many hats, Pugh also serves as a lead with Heavy Extrication/Rescue for his department, works with FEMA as a rescue squad leader and has years of experience as an instructor with training firms, fire academies and colleges.

“The mission of PXT is to build on our skills and knowledge in vehicle extrication and share that information with other rescuers with the common goal of saving lives,” Pugh said. “We summarize that with our statement of Teach, Learn, Train . . . which is our motto. We work closely with some of our industry’s largest tool manufacturers by providing input on safety and performance, like with the new First Responder Jack by Hi-Lift.”











Action Training Systems’ Vehicle Extrication DVDs and CBTs (computer based training) align with and teach to the NFPA 1001, 1006 & 1670 standards. To ensure the authenticity of the content, Action Training Systems President/CEO George Avila relies on subject matter experts like Jeff Pugh to ensure accurate content. PXT member and founder Kevin Williams was instrumental as a technical consultant for the making of ATS’ Vehicle Extrication series, as was Ron Moore, former battalion chief at McKinney Fire Department, TX.

This ATS Vehicle Extrication series includes the courses Incident Overview, Stabilization, Hazard Control & Safety, Initial Procedures, Door & Sidewall Procedures, Roof & Trunk Procedures and Interior Procedures.  Other Action Training Systems series include The Essentials of Fire Fighting, Emergency Medical Responder, HAZMAT, Fire Service Rescue, First On Scene, Fire Officer 1, Industrial Fire Brigades and more. For more information, visit www.action-training.com.

PXT has instructed firefighters from Seattle to Chicago, as well as in Canada, Europe and will train shortly in El Salvador. The PXT instructs hundreds of firefighters annually in Basic, Advanced and Heavy Extrication as well as New Vehicle/Hybrid Vehicles.

PXT is on the road for training classes for Bellingham Fire in Whatcom County, WA on September 24th and 25th, then the Vancouver Island (Canada) 16th Annual Auto Extrication Challenge from September 30th through October 2nd and at the Thurston Fire & Rescue Consortium on October 22nd. PXT’s team member biographies and schedule of events can be found on their website at www.thepxteam.org and the First Responder Jack may be viewed at www.firstresponder.hi-lift.com.
 

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Contact Information:
Ed Waterman
360.621.8661
edw(at)action-training(dot)com
www.action-training.com

ATS Releases Innovative Vehicle Extrication Training Videos for Emergency Responders

Vehicle Extrication is a 7-course series released by Action Training Systems to train emergency responders in the classroom with interactive videos and companion materials. This is a multimedia training series teaching to the requirements of NFPA 1001, sections 5.3.3 and 6.4.1 and 1670 Chapters 4 and 8.  These are national professional standards to demonstrate vehicle extrication procedures and techniques to improve the safety and efficiency of rescue teams.


Every day across America and Canada, there are hundreds of vehicular accidents, often leaving citizens trapped inside their vehicles and in need of emergency care. There are techniques that our emergency responders must be proficient in to safely extract the often injured occupants of the vehicles, as well as keep themselves and other responders safe on the accident scene. Vehicles must often be stabilized, electrical systems disabled and the actual extrication depends on the most safe and accessible point of the vehicle at the accident scene.

Training officers need excellent classroom training videos as part of the overall training regimen—videos that show their rescue team members realistic content, techniques for the stabilization of the vehicle and the extrication of the patient, as well as a learning system that reviews and tests their retention of the demonstrations they see in the classroom.

Showing vehicle extrication techniques using real emergency responder personnel is Vehicle Extrication, a 7-course series available on classroom DVD or the interactive CBT (computer based training), which has shown to increase student knowledge retention by up to 50%. Trainers appreciate the quality of the Action Training Systems content because real extrication crews provided the demonstrations, which were shot on realistic locations with the actual equipment used daily on the roads of North America. This is an essential part of firefighter training for professionals and volunteer firefighters.

The training is as close to reality as you can get, but at the same time it always emphasizes the safety aspects of the response – how to respond to dangerous situations.  That’s what makes this series so unique – its authenticity and the realism in the training content.

This Vehicle Extrication series includes Incident Overview, Stabilization, Hazard Control and Safety, Initial Procedures, Door and Sidewall Procedures, Roof and Trunk Procedures and Interior Procedures. These courses were all developed with the consultation and input of renowned subject matter experts that are personally experienced in the techniques of real life vehicle extrications.

Unlike much of the amateurish video and outdated coursework professional trainers report experiencing with new online training courses, Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company that has accompanied first responders on calls for over 20 years, shot thousands of hours of video footage in the field and is a worldwide leader in providing innovative training systems for emergency responders. ATS offers the highest quality content and videos that are up to date to the latest national standards.


Action Training Systems provides quality video demonstrations on DVD and interactive CBT (computer based training) programs and simulator programs on the Iluminar Learning Management System (LMS) software platform. All programs are reviewed by renowned subject matter experts aiding in content creation through the production of multimedia training tools, which is why ATS is renowned for its exceptional real life content.

Other training systems include Municipal firefighter training, EMS, HAZMAT, Fire Service Rescue, First On Scene, Fire Officer 1, Industrial Fire Brigades, The Essentials of Fire Fighting and more.






Contact Information:
Ed Waterman
360.621.8661
edw(at)action-training(dot)com
www.action-training.com

Agrium Fire Chief Envisioned Innovative Action Training Systems Series

A fire chief building a state-of-the-art training system for Agrium’s industrial firefighters at fertilizer plants in Canada answered the need for specialized multimedia training tools by proposing and then assisting in creating Industrial Fire Brigades, a new series by Action Training Systems. The series teaches to NFPA 1081, a national professional standard for industrial firefighters.

Calgary, AB (PRWEB) June 07, 2011
Responding to fires at a chemical plant that produces ammonia by the ton is not the same as responding to a house fire. Yet for many years, industrial firefighters at chemical plants, as well as at large petroleum plants, trained with materials that were really designed for municipal firefighters. Commercial training materials designed for their specialized needs just weren’t available.
No one was more aware of this than Agrium’s Bruce Dziwenka in 2007, when he was building the training system for 150 industrial fire brigade members at two fertilizer plants in Alberta, Canada. Dziwenka was the Emergency Response Advisor for the Redwater and Fort Saskatchewan operations of Agrium Inc., a leading global supplier of fertilizers and other agricultural products. Like many industrial sites, Agrium’s plants store and use bulk quantities of flammable, combustible and hazardous materials. The plants’ primary product is anhydrous ammonia, hundreds of thousands of tons of it. The processes at Agrium’s plants also involve large quantities of acids, such as phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid.
If there is a fire, leak or spill, rapid on-site response by industrial fire brigade members can contain the emergency immediately, preventing incidents from escalating into emergencies that can endanger site workers, neighboring communities and the environment.
When Dziwenka couldn’t find the student and instructor training materials he needed, he contacted George Avila, the president and CEO of Action Training Systems Inc., to ask if Avila had plans to make training materials for the industrial response sector. Action Training Systems is well known for making the Essentials of Fire Fighting, the leading multimedia series for training municipal firefighters. Dziwenka was already familiar with the company’s HAZMAT response training series.
A year later, with Dziwenka on board as a technical adviser for the industrial firefighter training project, Avila and Action Training Systems launched content development for Industrial Fire Brigades, a new 23-part multimedia training series that teaches to the skill and knowledge requirements of NFPA 1081, Standard for Industrial Fire Brigade Member Professional Qualifications.
In addition to providing technical advice for content development, Dziwenka opened the gates for Action Training Systems to shoot industrial fire brigade training and equipment for emergency response at his industrial sites. That’s about as real as it gets.
Finally, with the participation of many more industrial fire brigades across North America, the 23-part multimedia training series is on the market and is meeting the need for NFPA standard-based multimedia for many industrial fire trainers around the globe. “The series has ended up being exactly what I had envisioned,” says Dziwenka.
Industrial Fire Brigades: Incipient Level, the first series of 12 programs, helps train industrial fire brigade members to the incipient level, providing the basics of emergency incident management and the capability to extinguish small industrial fires while wearing normal work clothing.
Industrial Fire Brigades: Exterior & Structural has 11 programs teaching to the advanced exterior and interior-structural levels of NFPA 1081. This series provides step-by-step demonstrations in such training titles as SCBA, Access & Forcible Entry, Ladders, Industrial Water Supply, Foam Operations, Industrial Fire Control and Tank Hazard Control.
Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company and worldwide leader in providing innovative training systems for emergency responders. The company provides quality video demonstrations on DVD and interactive computer-based training (CBT) programs and simulator programs on the Iluminar Learning Management System(LMS) software platform. All programs are reviewed by renowned subject matter experts aiding in content creation through the production of multimedia training tools, which is why ATS is renowned for its exceptional real life content.
Action Training Systems produces training programs for firefighters in the private and public sector based on nationally accepted training standards and only uses real industrial fire brigade and fire department personnel to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the skills that are demonstrated and captured on video. Other training systems include municipal firefighter training, EMS, HAZMAT, Fire Service Rescue, The Essentials of Fire Fighting and more. For more information, visit http://www.action-training.com.

Contact Information:
Pat West
(919) 550-0799
patw(at)action-training(dot)com
http://www.action-training.com
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Firefighter Safety Bolstered by Innovative Action Training Systems

Quality training for our emergency responders is essential to keep them safe and effective in a naturally hazardous workplace. Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company and worldwide leader in innovative training systems for emergency responders. Firefighter training is a specialty of Action Training Systems and they have developed Firefighter I and Firefighter II, a series of 33 titles that teaches to NFPA 1001, Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications.

Poulsbo, Washington, May 24, 2011 (PRWEB) –

When it comes to classroom training systems for our municipal firefighters, there are three essentials that a training professional looks for. They demand authenticity in the content, high quality visual aids to enhance learning retention and a comprehensive training system that aligns with NFPA 1001. The Firefighter I and Firefighter II series developed by Action Training Systems not only meets, but exceeds these expectations, and ATS is renowned throughout the industry for the exceptional quality and authenticity of their real-life firefighter training content.

When mastering the basics for certification or refresher training, seeing really is believing. The Action Training Systems program simplifies technical material and reinforces training objectives visually through DVD and computer based training (CBT) formats.  Many professional firefighter trainers prefer the combined series, which includes the DVD or CBT series, PowerPoint presentations for instructors, question files to match the series and IFSTA teaching companions, like the Essentials of Fire Fighting 5th Edition manual and student workbook.

The interactive CBT format on the Iluminar Learning Management System (LMS) software platform is highly regarded as the premier format for firefighter training in the classroom. It addresses different learning styles and has been reported to deliver up to 50% greater knowledge retention. The program may be customized for each unique fire department, solving scheduling problems, reducing overtime costs and documenting training and compliance reports through such things as the automatic tracking and recording of student test scores and training times.

To address the needs of the greater emergency responder community, Action Training Systems has also released an Industrial Fire Brigade series and is currently producing and developing an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) series to the NEMSES standard.

The Industrial Fire Brigade series includes the 12-title Incipient Level series, the new 11-title Exterior and Structural series and the StageIT emergency response simulator, which allows the creation of simulated emergency response scenarios for testing and training. These training series were filmed at actual industrial sites in the United States and Canada and show demonstrations of real industrial fire brigade members in action. With the release of these titles, ATS is quickly becoming renowned as an innovative leader in industrial firefighter training, enhancing the classroom training and improving safety for industrial fire brigade members and industrial emergency medical responders.

Action Training Systems is currently developing a 25-title Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) series and is already shipping the first titles. Teaching to the National EMS Education Standards (NEMSES), this series covers such essentials as Primary Patient Assessment, Behavioral Emergencies, Blood Sugar & Dialysis Emergencies, Cold, Heat & Submersion and Orthopedic Trauma. This series is essential in the EMS training field, specifically to those entities that train first responders, such as fire departments, industrial fire brigades, law enforcement, private security firms, FBI, ATF, border patrol and campus security.

Action Training Systems produces training programs for emergency responders in both the private and public sector based on nationally accepted training standards and only uses real emergency responder personnel to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the skills demonstrated and captured on video.  Other training systems include HAZMAT,vehicle extrication, driver/operator, fire service rescue and fire officer development. For more information, visit www.action-training.com.

Contact Information:
Ed Waterman
Action Training Systems, Inc.
360.621.8661
EdW(at)action-training(dot)com
http://www.action-training.com

Nuclear Power’s Firefighters Featured in Series by Action Training Systems

Industrial fire brigades provide the first line of defense against fires at nuclear power plants, coal plants and many other industrial sites with industrial-sized hazards. Members of these firefighting forces at one of Nebraska’s nuclear power plants and coal-fuel power plant are shown in Industrial Fire Brigades, a multimedia training series by Action Training Systems. This firefighter training series teaches  to the requirements of NFPA 1081, a national professional standard for industrial fire brigade members.

Poulsbo, WA May 11, 2011 (PRWEB)
Given the current backdrop of global concern for nuclear power safety, training for the personnel that fight fires behind the gates of the nation’s nuclear power plants is paramount. Industrial fire brigade training gives these on-site workers the ability to prevent or safely extinguish the flames before they become disasters that affect their communities.

As Fire/Safety Lead of the Nebraska Public Power District, John Shrader is in charge of training the industrial fire brigades at Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, Neb., and Gerald Gentleman Station, a coal plant in North Platte, among others. He attributes much of the plants’ successful track record to the training of his industrial fire brigades.

“We use the training to impress upon our fire brigade members, especially in the initial training, how quickly a small event can turn into a large event, and how prevention can really pay off down the road,” he said. One challenge for Shrader and other instructors training industrial fire brigades has been that good classroom materials designed specifically for the needs of industrial fire brigade members haven’t been widely available. “There’s a host of manuals and other materials for municipal firefighters out there,” said Shrader, “but industrial firefighting is very specialized.”

Cooper maintains extensive training fields and a Learning Center equipped with a simulator. In the Learning Center, instructors can take control room crews through realistic training of an accidental plant shutdown. “They initiate simulated actions to the point where they break the plant. Then they take a break and when they come back they’re at full power. With a fire, it’s much harder to do that in the training room.”

With a new 23-part multimedia training series designed for training industrial fire brigades by Action Training Systems, that has changed. Showing fires and fire control by real fire brigade members isIndustrial Fire Brigades: Incipient Level and Industrial Fire Brigades: Exterior & Structural. Shrader appreciates the quality of the content because his crews provided many of the demonstrations, which were shot on location at Cooper Nuclear Station and Gerald Gentleman station in 2009 and 2010. Industrial fire brigades at sites across the United States and Canada participated in the development of the series.

“The training is as close to reality as you can get it, but at the same time, it always emphasizes the safety aspects of the response – how to respond to dangerous situations,” said Shrader. Instructors can now run students through the training on DVD or computer-based training in a classroom environment before students begin hands on training. “Each video starts at the basic level, but as the video progresses the level of knowledge progresses as well,” said Shrader.

The programs teach specifically to the skill and knowledge requirements of  NFPA 1081, Standard for Industrial Fire Brigade Member Professional Qualifications. The first series of 12 programs helps train industrial fire brigade members to the incipient level, providing the capability to extinguish small fires while wearing normal work clothing.

The second series teaches to the advanced exterior and interior structural levels of NFPA 1081. The programs provide step-by-step demonstrations for using personal protective clothing, SCBA, hoselines, ladders, search and rescue techniques, access and forcible entry equipment and techniques, water supply, ventilation, foam operations and the basic techniques for controlling interior and exterior industrial fires, including tank fires.

Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company and worldwide leader in providing innovative training systems for emergency responders. The company provides quality video demonstrations on DVD and interactive computer-based training (CBT) programs and simulator programs on the Iluminar Learning Management System (LMS) software platform. All programs are reviewed by renowned subject matter experts aiding in content creation through the production of multimedia training tools, which is why ATS is renowned for its exceptional real life content.

Action Training Systems produces training programs for firefighters in the private and public sector based on nationally accepted training standards and only uses real industrial fire brigade and fire department personnel to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the skills that are demonstrated and captured on video.  Other training systems include municipal firefighter training, EMS, HAZMAT, Fire Service Rescue, The Essentials of Fire Fighting and more. For more information, visit www.action-training.com.

###
Contact Information:
Pat West
(919) 550-0799
patw@action-training.com
www.action-training.com

National EMS Week Heroes Celebrated By Action Training Systems

National EMS Week heroes lay it on the line each and every day,  and in support Action Training Systems has launched a 25-title Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) series. The series follows the national NEMSES standard and trains emergency medical responders in life-saving skills that are critical to the well-being of the loved ones in our communities.
 
Poulsbo, Washington, April 20, 2011 (PRWEB)
 


National EMS Week will be honored by Action Training Systems and other EMS supporters during this year’s National Emergency Medical Services Week, being celebrated May 15 to 21. This year’s theme is “Everyday Heroes.”

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers and emergency room personnel will hold events throughout the country to honor those who provide life-saving emergency care every day. Special tributes will be paid to the EMS providers who lost their lives in the line of duty in the past year, as well as their surviving family members.

Action Training Systems is joining others across America in recognizing our EMS providers by launching a 25-title EMR series. As our first responders put their lives on the line, a high degree of training is crucial not just to the victims they serve, but to their own safety as well. This series prepares our responders for real-life emergencies where seconds count.

Action Training Systems celebrates our everyday heroes today, but it was four decades ago that President Gerald Ford declared the third week in May as National EMS Week. This year local communities will gather to show their gratitude for the selfless service and personal sacrifice given by our firefighters, EMRs, EMTs, paramedics and other emergency responders.

Some will be grand gestures. Queens, NY, expects over 500 to show in honor of those who perished in the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 nearly ten years ago. As CNN cameras caught desperate victims fleeing down stair wells, emergency medical systems providers were the few and brave charging up, fated to give the ultimate sacrifice.

Other celebrations will be more humble. Akron, Ohio, will hold a parade followed by free hot dogs and an auto extrication demonstration. Many fire stations will hold open houses and visit schools during the week. All of this will be to celebrate the week when we as a nation stand up and show our appreciation and simply say “thank you.” 

It’s no accident that Americans are served by the best EMS system in the world. The National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards (NEMSES) define the minimum competencies required of all EMS personnel. Action Training Systems builds entire innovative training systems that help emergency responders train to the standards outlined by organizations such as NFPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Action Training Systems is a multimedia development company and worldwide leader in providing innovative training systems for emergency responders. The company provides quality video demonstrations on DVD and interactive computer based training (CBT) programs and simulators on the Iluminar Learning Management System (LMS) software platform. All programs are reviewed by renowned subject matter experts aiding in content creation through the production of multimedia training tools, which is why ATS is renowned for its exceptional real life content.

Action Training Systems produces training programs for emergency medical systems personnel in both the private and public sector based on nationally accepted training standards and only uses real emergency medical systems personnel to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the skills that are demonstrated and captured on video.  Other training systems include firefighting training,  HAZMAT, Fire Service Rescue, The Essentials of Fire Fighting and more. For more information, visit www.action-training.com.

Contact Information:
Maureen Lander
Action Training Systems, Inc.
(360)509-6151
maureenlander(at)comcast(dot)net
www.action-training.com

Essentials of Firefighting the Best in Firefighter Training from Action Training Systems

Essentials of Fire Fighting  
POULSBO, Wash.  -- On the eve of its 20th anniversary, Action Training Systems, Inc. (ATS) is announcing the release of 33 fully updated programs in the Essentials of Fire Fighting series. The video-based series, available on DVD and as computer-based training courses, addresses requirements of NFPA 1001, Standard for Professional Firefighter Qualifications, 2008 Edition.
 
Twenty-three Fire Fighter I programs will be released in February, and 10 programs addressing Firefighter II requirements are set for release in March.
 
ATS first introduced the Essentials series in VHS format as audio-visual aids for the “Essentials of Fire Fighting 3rd Edition,” the leading manual for firefighter training, published by IFSTA/Fire Protection Publications of Oklahoma State University in 1993/1994. ATS revised its series in 1998 for the fourth edition of the manual.
 
"We are proud to again work with ATS on their Essentials,” said IFSTA Curriculum Projects Coordinator Ed Kirtley. “The ATS Essentials series is an invaluable instructional support tool for the IFSTA ‘Essentials of Fire Fighting 5th Edition.’  The videos compliment all of our instructional materials for Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II.  I believe every department should have this series in their basic skills training library.”
 
ATS President and CEO George A. Avila Jr. says customers can expect a very comprehensive update of the Essentials series, which has become a staple of video-based tools for fire instruction since it was originally published.  “We’ve put a lot of development time and effort into the revision to ensure the programs meet or exceed NFPA 1001, 2008,” said Avila.
 
ATS more than doubled its production staff during the last 14 months to meet the demands of shooting and editing new video for the programs, which feature real firefighters. Video editors went to great lengths to display best practices in training and current equipment.
 
Lead technical advisor for the ATS Essentials project was Chief Doug Forsman of Union Colony Fire-Rescue Authority in Greeley, Colo. Forsman is a member of the NFPA 1001 Technical Correlating Committee on Professional Qualifications and member of the NFPA Board of Directors. The technical advisory team also included Robert H. Noll, fire chief (retired) of Yukon, Okla., committee chair of “IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting IV”; and Jim Rackl, retired from the Federal fire service with 35 years experience. Rackl has served on NFPA and IFSTA committees and is an IFSAC-certified Fire Officer IV and active member of the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
Senior Content Developer for ATS Essentials project was Pat West, former editor of several national fire service trade magazines and Web sites with 12 years of experience in fire service content. In addition to working with the technical advisory team and IFSTA staff, West solicited input during script development from fire service equipment manufacturers, members of NFPA technical committees and nonprofit organizations.
 
In April 2008 ATS will celebrate its 20th anniversary. “We’re not a Johnny-Come-Lately to the market,” said Avila. “Action Training Systems has been trusted by the fire service for 20 years, not just in training content, but in leading-edge technologies.” 
 
In 1996, ATS began offering computer-based training using its video content on Courseworks. In 2004, ATS began converting its programs to the Iluminar Learning Management System, a platform custom-designed for fire service computer-based training delivery with classroom-quality, media-rich content.
 
As part of a “blended” learning plan, customers can also install new simulation training products from Action Training Systems. “People in the fire service are embracing technology now, and we’ve stayed at the leading edge with our products,” Avila said.
 
ATS’ Essentials series is one of the leading multimedia tools for firefighter training in the United States. Ken Bostwick, sales and marketing director, estimates that more than 8,000 fire departments -- about a quarter of the total number of America’s fire departments -- have used at least one of the Essentials programs.
 
ATS will showcase the new Essentials 2008 series at the 2008 Fire Department Instructors’ Conference FDIC in Indianapolis April 7-12 (booth 4415) and at many upcoming fire service conferences.
 
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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Georgetown City (S.C.) Fire Department Launches ILUMINAR Computer Based Training with LearnIT

Georgetown City (S.C.) Fire Department Launches ILUMINAR
 
POULSBO, Wash. -- Georgetown City (S.C.) Fire Department announced the launch of ILUMINAR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ILMS) this week as its new platform for delivering ACTION TRAINING SYSTEM, Inc.’s multimedia computer-based training content. A five-year client of ATS’ interactive media-rich suite of training products based on NFPA standards, the department provides training over a secure Local Area Network (LAN) directly at firefighter work stations.
 
Developed by ILUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES INC., the ILMS is a new easy-to-use training management system designed to enhance delivery of multimedia interactive computer-based training.
 
According to Georgetown City Fire’s Assistant Chief Bill Johnson, the ILMS has several advantages over Courseworks, the previous platform: “It’s easier to enroll students and to capture information and data about their training once they’ve done that, but also technically, the program is sounder; it’s a smoother operating system,” Johnson said. “The video looks better.”
 
Georgetown City Fire is a combination fire department with 36 paid members and 12 volunteers near the coast of South Carolina, about midway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. With two fire stations, the department protects a small city of 9,000 and a total population of about 12,000.
 
Johnson said the department’s computer-based training network has become vital to keeping pace with the increasing demands for firefighter training. Relying strictly on instructor-led training was becoming increasingly impractical, Johnson said, because of the challenge of bringing together instructors, class space and scheduling for both career and volunteer members.
 
ATS interactive training is delivered 24/7 at the department’s fire stations – at firefighter convenience and at their own pace. Because the system is maintained on the department’s server, Johnson is able to deliver better video quality and to monitor detailed records on firefighter tests and progress through training courses. As he throws the switch on the ILMS, Johnson said his database on firefighter training is maintained, enabling firefighters to seamlessly pick up where they left off.
 
Georgetown City Fire’s system includes Firefighter I and Firefighter II, HAZMAT Response, Rapid Intervention Teams Assessments, and the Pumper/Operator and Aerial Apparatus series. The system helps firefighters prepare for certification and all members are required to go through the curriculum once a year as a refresher. For refresher purposes, firefighters able to score 90% on a pretest get credit for taking the course without going through it, thus saving unnecessary training time.
 
One of his biggest challenges is keeping volunteer members trained after certification, said Johnson. “Another great advantage of computer-based interactive training is that our volunteers – who aren’t here for 24-hours as our paid members are – can come in and work an evening separate from any regular drills and work on this program. They get an awful lot of training by doing that.”
 
Career members also say they feel better trained because “they’ve got this right in front of them,” said Johnson. Career members are required to take 250 training hours per year and volunteer training requirements are soon to get close to that. “I think they appreciate the independence they have with it,” Johnson said, “they can take their time and do it at their leisure and on their schedule, without having to interrupt other things going on.”
 
Certainly, CBT won’t replace all the various components of the Georgetown City Fire’s training program, Johnson noted, but it’s been a very efficient and economical way to keep firefighter training where it needs to be. Computer-based training provides a foundation of knowledge so that firefighter and instructor time in on-site training is maximized. “You can watch the technique of putting up a ladder on a computer screen, but you still have to follow through with the physical skill of doing that so you feel the weight and you feel the movement of the ladder, so we are still doing practical skills training, but this has augmented our training so much. It’s vastly improved our training program.”
 
Johnson says he welcomes visits from other fire departments interested in seeing a demonstration. “We believe in not reinventing the wheel, and so we like to pass along as much of this as we can,” he said.
 
For more information about Georgetown City Fire Department’s training, contact Johnson via e-mail at billjohnson@georgetowncityfire.org.
  
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Cape Fear Community College Features Action Training Courses on LearnIT

Cape Fear (N.C.) Computer Training on the Move;
 $10 Million Training Center Planned
 
HAMPSTEAD, N.C.  Becky Porter, director of Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) Fire Training, has announced that the college’s Hampstead computer training center for firefighters will move to a new $10 million “Safety Training Center” .
 
The Hampstead center is one of two computer training centers delivering ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS (ATS), Inc., interactive training to firefighters from across the region and the state. It will temporarily move to a new building on CFCC’s North Campus.
 
Currently offering training at 20 computers, the Hampstead center will shut down for the first move in December and reopen in January in Burgaw. Another center with 12 computers at the Myrtle Grove Volunteer Fire Department, near Wilmington city limits, will maintain its location and hours.
 
The Hampstead computer training center will become part of a new Safety Training Center on the CFCC’s North Campus in Wilmington. The center will be funded by CFCC, the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County. Plans also include a training tower, a residential burn building, a commercial burn building, an apparatus driving pad, drafting pit, classrooms and meeting spaces.
 
Approved as training delivery agencies by the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) under the N.C. Department of Insurance, CFCC Fire Training computer centers first opened in the fall of 2001 and have provided more than 5,000 hours of training. Currently the centers offer ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS’ Firefighter I and Firefighter II series. Their main mission is to support training in the Cape Fear region, but about 20% of users come from fire departments across the state, Porter said.
 
CFCC Fire Training launched the local area network (LAN)-based ILUMINAR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ILMS) in January 2005 in both computer centers. Previously, it offered ACTION TRAINING SYSTEMS’ courses only in CD-ROM format.
 
Porter was pleased with the move away from CDs, which can become worn or lost. Now, thanks to the new ILMS, all course content is stored on a CFCC’s local server. Instructors control students’ access to the courses over the network. ILMS also provides instructors with utilities to manage student data.
 
Porter said she’s “ecstatic” with the ILMS platform: “Once we got everything installed and working right, we have had very few problems.”
 
All courses are multimedia, interactive, self-paced and instructionally designed to meet NFPA standards.
 
After taking the computer training, students become eligible for practical skills and written tests that CFCC Fire Training holds each month for firefighter certification.
 
CFCC Fire Training’s core business is still instructor-led classes at the center in Hampstead and on location at fire departments in Pender and New Hanover counties. It also holds three annual seminars that attract hundreds of fire service personnel from across the state.
 
Of course, computer-based training is ideally delivered in conjunction with live instructor training – either as an introduction to the material or as a review, but Porter said it also provides an alternative for those firefighters who either can’t attend classes or just prefer computer-based learning.
 
 “A lot of paid firefighters work 24-hour shifts,” Porter said, “and their schedules will not accommodate taking classes on a normal schedule. So these people can come into the learning lab and take classes when it’s open and when it’s convenient for them and get their firefighter certification.”
 
The computer training also helps fill the training gap for volunteer firefighters. Some of North Carolina’s smaller, rural departments either don’t have training available or only offer “in-house” training that doesn’t meet the OSFM’s rigorous standards. Firefighters sometime travel for several hours to the Hampstead or Myrtle Grove centers to get training they can’t get at home.
  
CFCC gives students a copy of the practical skills required by the certification test and, if they can’t attend a live class, encourages them to get hands-on training with a firefighter at home who is proficient in the skills.
 
Experienced firefighters often use the computer courses for efficient refresher training. Many of them already have a good foundation of the knowledge and skills required and don’t really need to sit in a classroom, Porter said.
 
All students benefit from self-paced instruction. ATS computer-based training is designed to enable firefighters to watch each section as many – or as few -- times as they need to absorb the information. Each section tests students on the learning objectives and, if answered incorrectly, loops them back to the information they need to review. 
 
Currently, the OSFM requires a state-certified instructor to be on site with students for all certification training, which limits computer training center hours, but Porter feels that a system to overcome that requirement won’t be too far in the future.  She notes that other fire departments that offer ATS training might consider sending firefighters to CFCC labs, where they could zip through the courses they’ve studied and advance more quickly to certification.
 
Computer-based training is not for everyone, Porter notes. Some old-school firefighters and instructors resist the concept.” I don’t think we’ll ever have everybody believing that computer training is a good thing, but it’s what the world is going to, so we can either do it or get left behind. Someone is going to do it, and as long as the Office of State Fire Marshal reviews the program and says they support it, it’s something we’ll be doing.”
 
The computer training center in Hampstead is currently open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the center at Myrtle Grove Volunteer Fire Department is open Mondays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  For more information, e-mail Porter at bporter@cfcc.edu.
  
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