By: Matthew Leonard
FDLiveIn

Recruitment is up, morale is high, the calls are coming and everyone seems to be moving on the right track! What a perfect scenario but one that is not likely to last without constant manipulation and a keen eye. Some things are impossible to control. Everyone loves to run fires, rescues, and car accidents, this kind of work keeps us interested but everyone knows there exists dry spells and sometimes they can go months at a time, perhaps years for less busy departments. So what do you do?

When boredom strikes your department be leery. While your live-ins should be preoccupied with school and work sometimes a break in the grind is something that is needed, something a good fire can remedy. As previously mentioned though we cannot control when a fire comes just as we cannot control the weather. The things we can control though are training events, both topic and intensity. Training is a wonderful thing because of its dynamic applications. You as a leader can use training as a motivator, discipline tool, morale booster, and just a generic way to bring your department members together. This article is going to focus on training as a morale booster and motivator.

Keep your people invigorated in their job as firefighters. By using training in a progressive manner you can keep idle members engaged and keep their skills sharp. You will also keep their minds working for the organization and away from the practical jokes and pranks that are sometimes very funny and imaginative but can also be dangerous and damaging. As a manager or leader using training as a tool will keep you ahead of the game. When the calls aren’t steady cater to all levels with the training you decide to do. Newer members should maintain proficiency with their PPE and SCBA as well as their primary functions on the fire ground. Promote efficiency and give them some of the tricks you might have used when at their level.

Your drivers should constantly be learning about their response district. The more they know about their job the better the entire crew becomes. Running routes, fire hydrants and specifics about the buildings in your area are just a few topics that are easy to talk and drill about that will raise the level of everyone’s game. If you run a department with multiple companies in it make sure driver’s training always progresses as well. Your engine driver should know everything about the engine and then learn the truck. This type of constant promotion keeps crews thinking and planning. A truck driver’s mentality will be different than a wagon driver’s but the new vehicle and new ideas will motivate progress.

Your officer training should constantly include ways to keep them thinking about strategy and their subordinates. A good officer can get any task completed by coaching their crew, but a great officer will get the task completed by assigning jobs and standing back to watch. Your officers should be able to evaluate their crew’s strengths and weaknesses and know who is good at what. Even your veteran members can be positively motivated with training. No one has seen it all and coming up with creative ways to train will keep everyone on their game. The importance of staying up on everything cannot be emphasized enough because the calls will eventually come and we must be ready. As the bunkroom manager identify where your people need work or just think of something fun to do as a training exercise. Your members will be grateful for the breach of boredom and so will the public when your crew arrives on scene and functions like a well-oiled machine.

Matthew Leonard is a FF/EMT with the District of Columbia Fire Department in Washington, DC. He is a former live-in at the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince Georges County, Maryland where he currently serves as Assistant Chief.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @takenthestairs and on Facebook: facebook.com/m.j.leonard.fire