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ISFSI Live at FDIC: ATS is HOT Classroom Media
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.
END
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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