By Adam Yelich
New firefighters do not know what they do not know. This is not their fault. Modern-day training, particularly within basic firefighting courses, can vary tremendously. For example, one introductory course in handline operations might be taught by a seasoned firefighter assigned to a busy engine company – an individual whose passion and field experience of the subject matter makes for a compelling and fulfilling lesson in their skills. On the contrary, a fill-in instructor who has passed a test indicating that they are qualified to teach these methods might lack the relevant experience for a truly in-depth discussion. The students in these classes will have very different learning experiences. The result? Inconsistency in fireground readiness.
Drilling together
Over the past six years as a company officer, I have learned an incredible amount about the difference among quantity of training, quality of training, and quantity of quality training. I have seen that, when instruction is done right, junior firefighters can knock the ball out of the park on the fireground. I have seen this with my own crew, as they go through the process of increasing their sets and reps during training. But this isn’t always the case for new members.
The clock begins to run against you as soon as new members report for the first time. I recall a building fire years ago. I had just put my gear on the rig and had not even a chance to introduce myself to two new firefighters when the fire kicked off. En route, I jokingly asked if the new members knew how to spell SCBA. While a funny story, it’s also somewhat terrifying to consider a team that has never worked together relying on each other amid such potentially dangerous conditions. It was a small miracle that the fire was not what it could have been – a raging blaze with occupants trapped and a crew that had never met, let alone run a drill together.
I cannot over-stress the importance of orientation periods prior to a newly hired member hitting the apparatus. Of course, our larger organizations have an established academy curriculum, but those departments do not represent the majority of the fire service.
Freezing on scene
The study of human stress reaction reveals that we have three reactions in high-stress environments: flight, fight or freeze. We are all aware of the sympathetic vs. parasympathetic fight-or-flight response. The little-known (or acknowledged) freeze reaction is a common one within the fire service, so why don’t we discuss it more? After all, how many times have we heard kitchen table banter include statements like, “He locked up at the door” or hearing a fellow firefighter literally say, “I just froze.”
Why does this happen? One of the main reasons is the body’s psychological response, knowing it is in a life-threatening situation but lacking the knowledge or confidence to make a decision about fight or flight. Furthermore, this lack of knowledge or confidence falls back to our training – training on both the physical actions required and the mental preparation for whatever may occur.
Repeating actions
Fundamental fireground skills are paramount in setting performance expectations. Repetitions lead to muscle memory, and repetitions under duress lead to success on the fireground.
During our daily apparatus checks, my crew incorporates mask-up drills into our SCBA checks. This takes minimal time, yet it creates crew buy-in, builds friendly competition to simulate the anxiety we experience on the fireground, and allows members to see progression in their skills. It’s all about fundamental repetitions with a degree of mental training. The 10-20 minutes of effort pays for itself at 2 a.m. with fire showing.
Another successful drill we utilize every day is the “first-arriving drill.” This drill could include any response type – first-arriving engine with an attack assignment, motor vehicle accidents, CPR in progress, etc. Dedicating 30-60 minutes a day to master our most basic skills proves itself when we arrive at any of these incident types.
Mental preparation
In addition to the physical sets and reps, we must also get mentally strong for the job. I have seen how this approach to training has resulted in fireground success, not only in getting the job done, but also in helping members – including myself – cope with traumatic calls.
For one, we must ask ourselves whether we have truly prepared our newest firefighters for the worst-case scenario. We must acknowledge the tragedies that may be out of our control but also prepare ourselves to do the best we can. To quote Archilochus, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training.”
Training should incorporate a variety of high-stress scenarios – a pediatric arrest, people trapped in a burning house, frantic family members screaming and grabbing us to save their loved one, and, of course, mayday situations. After all, studies show that when a mayday is called, it’s usually the firefighter who called the emergency who will remove themselves from the situation. Are you prepared for that moment? Is your crew?
Consider air consumption drills as an example of mental/physical training. Here’s a hard truth: Playing dodgeball in gear does not provide relevant air management training. What’s more, time and time again, I’ve witnessed air consumption drills where the low-air alarm sounds, and members are instructed to sit or lay down to “work on air management.” We must break these habits with more relevant training.
Doing regular, strenuous fireground-related exercises while on air is an absolute must. I like using a Tabata-style rotation with work time followed by short off time. During the rotation between stations, I often have my crew fake call a mayday or activate their PASS device. Why? Because their heart rate is up, it’s stressful, mirroring the conditions in which we operate. When the low-air alarm sounds, you aren’t done. Begin crawling like your life depends on it, use a section or two of hose to follow. Ask yourself, if you were dragging a victim, could you make it to the exit? How far can I make it if it was an emergency? These questions are critical. Now when your mask sucks to your face, get as low as you can and crawl to a “safe area.” This develops a hard-to-kill, no-quit mindset.
Here’s another example, this time for the engine officers. Flowing water is a must, but being stationary in a parking lot doesn’t cut it for the hallway. Navigating interior obstacles is a must-train, but are we drilling on burst sections or wraparound fire? As my nozzleman is flowing and moving, I like yelling “Flash!” or “Behind!” to mimic a military quick reaction drill. Upon “flash,” the nozzleman must direct the stream immediately above them and start controlling a rapidly progressed fire condition, or manipulating the line to control wraparound fire. Then we repeat it. These things matter!
These training extremes also help create a bond among your crew, plus a resiliency to adversity that pays dividends on the fireground. Remember, “the more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.”
The last aspect of mental preparation sounds cliche, but it is incredibly true. Go to work expecting a fire with victims. On EMS calls, use it as a reconnaissance of your area. How far from the road to the door, where are the stairs, is there a basement, etc.? The tiny details all matter at 3 a.m.
Final thoughts
For all the instructors out there, whether formal or informal, I encourage you to think about this training mindset – one rooted in repetition – for all your future training evolutions. Professional baseball players take ground balls and hit off tees. Why? Mastery of fundamentals through repetitions. We must do everything we can to prepare our new firefighters hitting the street – our firefighters who have not yet built their muscle memory nor added to their mental slide deck of experience. It is our job to get them ready for anything they could face and to ensure they don’t freeze, but rather succeed on the fireground.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Yelich is a second-generation firefighter and 11-year veteran of the fire service. His experiences range from a 16-year-old cadet on a combination department to a firefighter in Memphis, Tennessee, to a shift officer of an evolving rural/suburban fire department in southern Indiana. Yelich is a passionate instructor, holds Fire Officer 2, and serves as an FDIC HOT safety officer as well as a lead instructor of an engine-oriented HOT class taught in mid-central Indiana.