PHOTO GERT ZOUTENDIJK Many departments are starting to focus more on specialized training; however, we cannot allow our firefighters to lose sight of training basics, including hoseline advancement.

How many times have you heard someone say the fire service is injuring or killing its members because we don't know the basics? A glimpse at almost any fireground operation will reveal many problems with performing basic skills, including slow task performance and even potentially catastrophic mistakes like not staying on a hoseline, rope or wall and becoming disoriented in a building. It is clear from reading some of the near-miss reports at www.firefighternearmiss.com that a lack of situational awareness is often a contributing factor in the incident. Staying oriented to your location is a basic survival principle that we often forget.

A snapshot of today's fire service might reveal that we have many young firefighters who make excellent special-operations members and hazmat team operators but only mediocre firefighters. But how did this happen? Many departments have attempted to implement additional elements and dimensions to their service delivery by taking on special-operations duties that require extensive training time and effort. Although there is nothing wrong with increasing our capabilities in these specialized areas, we must keep in mind that making time for these duties reduces our time available to train on fundamental skills.

Something has to give in order to address all levels and types of training, because when we lose sight of the basics, the consequences can be severe. All our members must be required to maintain a general proficiency in basic firefighting skills, from early in our career until we retire. The bottom line: It may be time, as an industry, to re-emphasize training on basic firefighter duties.

PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Covering all the topics that must be included in our training programs is difficult, especially when trying to balance the needs of rookies and more seasoned firefighters. Making decisions about what to cover and what to cut is challenging for even the most experienced training officer, instructor or company officer. So where do you begin?

Departments of all sizes and types (career, volunteer or combination), and even every company, must define these skill levels and refine them through realistic and relevant training; further, all training must be geared toward continuously improving firefighters' skills, no matter how many years they have worked in the fire service. These skills have such an impact on our safety and survival, and our ability to deliver service, that they are equally important on day one and on the day you retire.

You probably learned in instructor training that if you don't use certain skills and techniques, your skill level will degrade over time. During a basic drill, like knot tying, you may hear some members jokingly say, "I haven't done that or practiced that since the academy." Despite the joking, these members are making a serious statement about the challenges we face in needing to consistently train even after we've left the academy.

We've all heard the saying, "Practice makes perfect." Better yet, many of us probably recall Vince Lombardi's version, "Perfect practice makes perfect." So, while we must train, train, train, we must do so until we get it right. Taking this one step further, we must train in the same manner that we are expected to operate. This means following our standard operating guidelines (SOGs) so our training mimics real-life situations (e.g., wearing our personal protective equipment [PPE]). After all, the people we serve expect us to perform our very best all of the time, and this expectation is hard to live up to if we fail to practice for the real thing.

CORE SKILLS
Every firefighter must grasp certain core skills before tackling more advanced or specialized skills. Core skills can be defined as the skills required to complete basic parts of a job. If you can't perform these skills well, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to succeed in other aspects of the job. Here are some classifications of core skills-related training needs for firefighters. Other positions, such as apparatus operator and company officer, should develop similar classifications of skills for their respective jobs.

First-Arriving Company Operations — Skills related to operations taking place during the first few minutes of a fire (usually by a limited number of personnel)

• Hoseline advancement
• Ladder carries, raises and placement
• Water-supply operations
• Search-and-rescue operations
• Ventilation operations

Survival Skills — Skills each member must know in order to get out of hazardous conditions

• PPE donning and doffing
• SCBA donning and doffing
• Hazardous conditions identification
• Building construction classification
• Fire behavior and location determination
• Self-survival skills
• SCBA profiling skills
• Low or diminished clearances
• Wall breeching
• Window or roof escape techniques
• Emergency communications procedures
• Mayday
• PASS activation
• Emergency ropes and knots
• Handcuff knots
• Bowline knots
• Emergency descent knots
• Orientation and disorientation training
• Contact points
• Using ropes/hose
• Furniture and landmark identification
• Regaining orientation

Company-Level Operations Skills — Operations that an entire company must perform together to complete

• Offensive-attack SOGs
• Defensive-attack SOGs
• Vehicle rescue operations
• EMS operations
• Water-shuttle operations
• NFPA 1410 training scenarios

Basic Skills — Skills related to everything from support-level operations to initial attack (consider these skills for "exterior-only" designated personnel or auxiliary personnel)

• Small tools and equipment
• Power saws
• Generators and power supplies
• Refilling SCBA cylinders
• Equipment location
• Apparatus standards (pump size, hosebed, tank size, etc.)

Scenario-Based Skills — Skills based on your response procedures so all members know where they fit into the big picture of the operation

• Single-family dwelling fire attack
• Multi-family dwelling fire attack
• Commercial structure fire attack
• Institutional structure fire attack
• High-rise fire attack

DETERMINE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Clearly, there are a variety of ways to set up a core skills program. Once you determine what to cover, you can then further develop your program by setting up performance standards. At the very least, you must set minimal acceptable performance levels. These levels should be determined using job performance requirements (JPRs) and your department's job description. NFPA standards may offer some guidance as well. Further, trial and error is probably the most basic way to determine these levels. To use this method, instruct a trial group of firefighters with varying skill levels perform a particular task. This should provide a good number of samples so you can determine the average time it takes to perform the task. Use an average time as the minimal level and the best times as the optimal level. With this in mind, here are some ways to classify performance levels.

Unskilled

• Member failed evolution or skill (mandatory re-evaluation will take place) because he (or she):
• Exceeded the time limit
• Missed a step in the procedure;
• Created a safety hazard for himself (or herself) or another member;
• Was unable to perform the task; or
• Repeatedly failed to complete the task.
• Member requires Personal Improvement Agreement and formal documentation on standard evaluation form.
• No credit is given for purpose of progress reporting or evaluation towards applicable certification.

PHOTO FOREST REEDER Training academy instructors closely monitor students performing an RIT evolution drill.

Moderately Skilled

• Performance meets the minimum requirement for the task and is performed on first attempt. With additional practice, improved performance levels can be attained.
• Member's performance of skill may require supervision on  the fireground in order to perform
• Time performance is near the minimum requirement.
• All appropriate safety precautions are taken.
• Instructor/evaluator determines the need for additional training or repeat of skill.

Skilled

• Performance is above the minimum level because:
• The time was above average
• Skill meets all performance levels and could be performed on the fireground without supervision
• No serious/critical errors were committed; and
• All appropriate safety practices were observed and performed.

Highly Skilled

• Performance is at a high level of competence because:
• It was error free;
• It was the fastest time; and
• Member could supervise others performing the same task and identify errors or suggest improvements.
• Member knows the role and importance of this task in relation to other fireground operations

PHOTO FOREST REEDER Instructors lead students through a rope and knot drill during an SUFD training academy course.

BASIC SKILLS BOOT CAMP
A sample essential skills program includes a balance of tasks that allow the department to evaluate the essential elements of the job description; NFPA 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Health and Safety Program requires that an evaluation of job tasks takes place annually. Below is a sample set of skills that can help you reinforce firefighting basics in your department.

1. PPE donning (all components of your PPE ensemble)
2. SCBA donning in 60 seconds or less (NFPA 1410 standard)
3. Attack line hose advancement (preconnected or other)
4. Back-up line operations (second line or larger line operation)
5. Ground ladder carry and raise
1. Place for rescue
2. Place for roof acces
6. Forcible entry
1. Inward swinging doors
2. Outward swinging doors
3. Overhead doors
4. Windows or walls
7. Ventilation
1. Vertical
2. Horizontal
3. Forced
8. Water supply
1. Hydrant hook up
2. Water shuttle set up
3. Relay operation
9. Master stream use
1. Pre-piped
2. Portable
3. Aerial
10. Safety & Survival
1. Building construction typing
2. Escape techniques
3. SCBA emergency operations
4. Buddy carry and drags
5. Orientation/disorientation
6. Accountability and communications
7. Response safety

TRAINING MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Use your department's SOGs and job descriptions to develop these programs. NFPA professional qualification standards found in the 1000 Series can also assist you in determining the job performance requirements necessary to complete a task. This builds validity into your evaluations and program delivery. Further, you don't have to tackle this process all at once. Take one subject area per month and work to gradually improve everyone's ability during that time. Set performance goals for the month and monitor results. The ultimate goal is to practice better, so when it comes time to use the skills at real incidents, firefighters perform the tasks smoothly and efficiently.

Too many firefighters are injured or killed because they forget or never learned the basics. We know that when the going gets tough, we rely on our training, especially training that promotes consistent operations and behaviors during crises. It's time to take back the fire service, learn from the lessons of the past and honor those who have fallen by not making the same mistakes over and over. Making it your personal mission to improve the basic skill levels of your members can only help advance the fire service and reduce firefighter line of duty deaths.

Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1979. He currently serves as battalion chief and director of training and safety with the Pleasantview (Ill.) Fire Protection District and is the director of training for Southwest United Fire Districts. In these capacities, he is responsible for the design, implementation and coordination of in-service training activities as well as a full-service fire training academy program. Reeder is also the author of the Weekly Fire Drills feature at www.firefighterclosecalls.com and developer of Officer, RIT and Safety Officer training packages for www.tailboardoperations.com.

He holds numerous Illinois certifications and has an associates of applied science degree in fire science technology, a bachelor's degree in fire department administration and a master's degree in public safety administration from Lewis University.