The Rig and the New Firefighter

Just had a other thought about the rig thing I just posted.  For new firefighters as they come into FF1, one way you can ensure they check out the rig is to give them the following homework:

1.  Produce an inventory of the apparatus you are assigned to.  This is a way to force them into the compartments.  Urge them to do this with their officer or a more veteran firefighter as it is unlikely they will be able to identify each tool.
2. A follow-up exercise is to have them pick a tool each week from the inventory, take a picture of it and tell about its uses and limitations.  You can use a standard form so they are all basically the same.  You can also have them do a presentation for the class.  Maybe even better is to set up a database for the class where all the forms can be stored so they can be referenced during the class and the students can be engaged in talking about their experiences.
3. Maybe further or before the tool pick (bullet #2) is to have them take a picture of the rig and put it in the data base and have the student during the class talk about the rig and their department…
4. even better (and I’m brainstorming here) have them research an interesting fact about their department, maybe a past incident or a tradition that has been passed down.  This is away to reinforce organizational loyalty and get the new firefighter invested in their department.