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:
-  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.
- 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.
- 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…
- 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.
1 Comment
That is a great idea. My Dept. had a check sheet for milestones to complete before running calls. An inventory of the tools were in each compartment. A paid Firefighter helped me with simulating a call and to grab a particular tool and explain its use. It really helped.