Over the weekend I had the pleasure of bringing Todd Hoffman in for training at the East Berlin Fire Department. The class was held on a Saturday, and had 50 firefighters from across CT, and even one from NY. Everyone who was there commented on the quality of training and information provided, and all were pleased. (Pictures are available at http://www.volunteerfd.org/airbag/)
The hour of the training I was able to witness was phenomenal, but many people do not realize the amount of work it took to set it up. Whenever you bring in outside training, logistics are more important and difficult then when actually presenting the class. The cost was low, but the time invested was high, but worthwhile.
Many of you have asked how to bring the airbag training to your area, and this article is being printed as a guide to bringing Todd in specifically, but applies to bringing in outside training in general. It all started with an email from Todd. Todd is providing this training as a benefit for volunteers and he is looking to provide it across the country with the help of VolunteerFD.org.
The first hurdle was finding the right day. We picked March 13th due to Todd’s schedule and logistics issues. Choosing a date is an important factor that will determine your turn out. Unfortunately, none of us realized that there were multiple St. Patrick’s Day parades being held on that day.
The next step was to bring in partners to help pay for the training. For this we turned to Carstar, I-CAR, and AIG. Carstar had a local collision repair shop and a helpful staff for marketing and logistics. AIG provided the vehicles to be cut up and deployed, and I-CAR provided Todd. Todd has the bonus that I-CAR schedules him to teach other classes, therefore subsidizing his class that he taught for us.
For our partners, they were looking for some positive press coverage in return for their support. This is a great deal for all involved as the department receives positive press, the partners receive press, and the training is free to participants. Press brings with it its own challenges though. Luckily Carstar created and distributed the press release and press package for the program. A word of caution is to make sure you read the press release before it is sent. You should also appoint someone to be your Public Information Officer for any comments or questions before and during the event.
Back to logistics… Todd has held classes for over 1200 people. While we were not planning to have that many, any large group can be a problem. Especially for practical sessions. Our firehouse can host the classroom portion without a problem, but the we could only hold the hands on session outside. To have a back up plan, we enlisted the support of a local business that had thousands of square feet of space available. Fortunately, the day of the event was beautiful weather and we ended up holding the hands on in the parking lot of our department.
In order to pack the classroom, we promoted the class through multiple channels. We sent flyers to all of our surrounding departments, promoted it within our department, and through VolunteerFD.org. VolunteerFD.org is more then happy to promote training opportunities, and will be posting Todd’s schedule at http://www.volunteerfd.org/airbag/. I also suggest having a ‘RSVP’ mechanism so that you can have a headcount.
One of the more debatable things about training was if we were going to provide refreshments and lunch. We decided to provide both donuts and coffee and lunch. Our budget luckily could cover it, but it is not necessarily a requirement. We did try to get some businesses to donate the refreshments, but ended up with just a discount. (Which is nice anyway.)
The day of the event brought its own challenges. Luckily my assistant training officer was able to set up most of it beforehand, but there was much to be done anyway. Todd provided his own props, LCD projector and laptop. I was able to enjoy the first hour of the program before the logistics took over. Stephen’s Auto Mall loaned us a hybrid car that showed up at 10, and had to be arranged and dealt with. Once that was settled, our local news station, Fox 61, arrived and was looking to set up.
In hindsight, I probably would have had more set up for the press, and someone beside myself to act as PIO. Our chief provided the comments, but it still took quite a bit of coordination. My assistant and our steward took care of lunch, and that was a lifesaver.
Overall the training went well, and all who attended were extremely happy. The press coverage was phenomenal. (The newspaper article is available here: http://www.ctcentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11120345&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=10110&rfi=8) We were able to bring high-class training to our small department, all for a time and very small monetary investment. If you would like to bring this training to your department, keep in mind the amount of work, and visit http://www.volunteerfd.org/airbag for more information. Keep VolunteerFD.org in the loop and we will help how we can, and maybe even make a guest appearance if our schedule permits.