Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
This drill will help you set up training sessions for next year. You will assign a type of tool or equipment to each month and run through all operating characteristics of each piece of equipment during the month. Several tiers of training can emerge from this, including safety, operations, maintenance, and servicing of the equipment. For each type of equipment, it is important to cover the “Big 5” knowledge and skill areas with any training on equipment. These areas are:
1. Proper Use (normal conditions)
2. Proper Care (washing, drying, inspections)
3. Proper Maintenance (repairs, refueling, recharging, inspection, service)
4. Equipment Capabilities (safe operating ranges)
5. Equipment Limitations (Do Not’s)
Each of these areas is different and your manufacturers should be able to provide very specific information on those areas. Develop a local lesson plan for each type of equipment and include a practical skill checklist for the safe operation of each type of equipment.
Download this week’s firefighter training drill as a PDF HERE.
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.
