Our next series of firefighter training drills from Forest Reeder focuses on developing firefighter survival skills. Take a look at the drills below, and search for more at https://www.fireengineering.com/firefighter-training/drills/.
The Survival Essentials – The Mayday
Every fire service member must know how to prevent getting into hostile situations or environments. If something goes wrong or we end up in a bad place, we also must know how to react to them.
The Survival Essentials – Evacuation
Practice your communication message for requesting or calling an evacuation and then discuss the actions necessary for each member to do when the evacuation is called for.
The Survival Essentials – Do Not Enter
Discuss conditions that would be present at a fire scene that would halt a firefighting company from making an interior or offensive attack.
The Survival Essentials – PASS
A firefighter in distress should not hesitate to activate the PASS as part of the survival essentials process.
The Survival Essentials – Progress Reports
Review the different types of incident progress reports that are required to keep all companies and the incident commander (IC) on the same page during emergency scene operations.
Next in the Survival Essential series focuses on the necessity and conditions that a personnel accountability report (PAR, or roll call) would be initiated during an emergency.
The Survival Essentials – Taking Preventative Action
This exercise has 10 situations that should draw the attention of everyone working on the fireground and cause some sort of action to take place to prevent near-miss or tragedy from occurring.
MAD Training and Response Solutions
Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1978 and retired as fire chief of the Tinley Park (IL) Fire Department in 2021. He has worked extensively in the areas of instruction, firefighter safety, and officer development and earned his Master of Science Degree in Public Safety Administration in 2004. He is the author of Fire Department Incident Safety Officer 4th edition (2025) and co-author of Fire Service Instructor Principles and Practices, now in its 3rd edition. Forest presents nationally on fire service leadership, safety, and instructor development. He was inducted into the Moraine Valley Community College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2020 and awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award in 2021. In 2008, he received the ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year, considered to be the highest recognition for fire service instructors in the nation.
- Firefighter Training Drills: The Role of the Safety Officer
- Firefighter Training Drills: Fire Behavior and Building Construction
- Firefighter Training Drills: The Fireground Playbook
- Drills: Are You Smarter Than a Rookie?
- Drills: Aerial Operations
- Drills: Engine Company Work
- Drills: Truck Company Work
