Meeting in the Middle: Training Between Career and Volunteer Mutual-Aid Companies

VOLUNTEERS CORNER | By Matt Soer

The fire service has seen a dramatic increase in training opportunities for its members in the past 25 years. From the big national and international conferences to the local, regional, and state training weekends, firefighters are giving their time to perfect their craft in ways our firefighting forefathers did not imagine possible.

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These opportunities are great. They outline the need for learning outside of our small bubble and bring new information to the table. While this is essential to continued knowledge retention, we cannot forget the large portion of time when we cannot fly to another city or town to learn a new part of our craft. This issue is most problematic for agencies with tight budgets, and those are typically the ones in more rural areas. It is for that very reason that it is critical to share resources and create firm relationships with our mutual-aid partners for continued education and growth.

1. Two agencies work together on the training grounds for first-due operations. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

My agency is a typical, small-town, midwestern municipal fire department. We have full-time companies that run out of two stations as well as a shift battalion. Multiple part-timers and a four-person administration team also support the crews. Surrounding our nine-square-mile response area is a combination department with 12 stations covering a majority rural area.

The two closest neighboring stations provide automatic aid on all structure fires in our city. In turn, we provide a ladder company response to more than 100 preidentified locations in their fire district if they have a confirmed fire. This relationship has proven fruitful for both agencies, as we’ve seen a general decline in volunteer numbers (theirs) and call back staffing (ours) over the years. To make this work, training programs have had to step up their games to create better shared learning opportunities. This enables staff to work together on any scene (photo 1).

It wasn’t that long ago that our two agencies didn’t have much to do with one another. They were self-sufficient. We were self-sufficient. Of course, we saw one-off calls that required a response from either one of us, but those were rare. Many of us who worked at the city agency volunteered for the local fire district at some point, but our worlds rarely overlapped.

In recent years, the training chief at the local district and I began to share training information with one another. This started small, with leadership class ideas, basic firefighter skills, and topics along those lines. In turn, when my department hosted a Firefighter I and II program, the local district training chief began to send staff to these classes. Even with promotions at the agency generating a new training chief, we didn’t miss a beat.

He and I hit the ground running to integrate as much training as we could. In the past three years alone, our two agencies have created a symbiotic relationship that benefits our citizens in the community at large. Looking back, I did see that we had the potential to get to this point. However, I never imagined that we would be sharing training classes, ideas, props, and other information at such a rapid pace. Here’s an overview of four key concepts that helped us get to our current, successful relationship.

1. Start at the Beginning: Recruits

One area that really helps cement agencies is uniform recruit training. If you work closely with a mutual-aid agency, you may have a shared or regional academy. And if you can work within that kind of environment, it can be an awesome experience. If that’s not possible, try to find ways in which you can share similar lessons. Our agency requires that all staff obtain their Firefighter I and II certification by the end of their first year, if they don’t already have both. Regardless of whether they have the certifications or not, we still require core recruit modules to be completed in an academy style. This acclimates them to our agency.

Our neighbors have a program that does not require Firefighter I and II but is built around a basic knowledge model. I built a “bridge program” in coordination with our mutual-aid partner to identify areas of shared knowledge (photo 2).

Our bridge program is specific to recruit onboarding and is centered around topics such as hose operations, fire behavior/control, and technical rescue, to name a few. To maintain consistency for the bridge to work, a formal paper trail is required. Documentation ensures that skills and job performance requirements (JPRs) are satisfactory and that modules and lessons are complete.

2. Firefighting I and II students from different agencies perform extrication training while an instructor from another agency evaluates them.

The previous training chief for our neighboring agency is our current chief at the municipal department. He created the stepping stones by mirroring the modules and JPRs from his role at his combination agency to match the ones at the career agency. From there, I created a spreadsheet that identifies shared JPRs and modules, which we can use interchangeably between the agencies.

We use a document packet that breaks down the 12 modules that we believe are important for our new hires. Within those modules rest the JPRs. These JPRs exist in a checklist format with a place for a department instructor to sign. This may look like a practical skill sheet used for state or regional testing of new firefighters, but you can customize it as needed for your agency.

Our neighbors use the same hose loads. Thus, when a new hire presents a JPR packet from our neighboring agency and it shows the hose load module as complete, I do not need to repeat that skill unless there is a reason to do so.

Another example pertains to module reciprocity. If recruits successfully completed the module on fire behavior and flow path at the combination department and they want to join our agency as part-time members, then they do not have to repeat that module. This model of the bridge program works great if you are sharing staff members.

You will need to have an open line of communication between both training agencies as well as a shared (and agreed on) set of standards. Local past practice along with National Fire Protection Association standards can work well in this regard. The biggest component is trust. You must trust that everyone involved upholds the standards.

Sharing the burden on recruit training can save time, money, and unnecessary redundancies. That said, focus on the essentials even if you must repeat them. For example, we require our new members (regardless of a past with the combination agency) to complete a ladder module because we have tower ladders. Everyone must take a commonsense approach.

2. Encourage Interoperability

Having departments that are interoperable in the equipment realm is a little more difficult to achieve. Different budgets and needs can create gaps in the training requirements of agencies. Some agencies have ladder trucks. Some don’t. Some use different self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or hose packages. However, we can usually identify major areas that we share. Take the time to list, even if it’s obvious, the common ground between your agencies. Our county shares one dispatch center. The language and jargon we use on the radio is fairly uniform. All the agencies share the same system of establishing command. Some agencies go even further and use a command board on incidents. (The municipal and combination departments have these in each battalion vehicle.) These boards, though slightly different, are similar in many regards. This is just one example, but look for as many as you can find.

After you create that generalized list, narrow it down to identify the equipment and operations you share. Create training courses with your partners where you mix up crews using similar or the same equipment. Have them get used to working with other firefighters while using any shared equipment. Something our immediate agencies share is our SCBA and rapid intervention team (RIT) bag familiarity. We can perform down firefighter drills and use the RIT pack and buddy breather systems with relative ease. We are building interoperable teams and equipment knowledge simultaneously. This pays dividends on fires when we get to work together to accomplish the mission.

We also created a countywide fire association. All five departments within our county fund this organization, which makes it possible for all fire departments in our area to participate in training programs.

3. The career department brought its aerial device to a meeting with members of volunteer agencies across the county. Throughout the evening, engineers learned proper techniques for feeding the device.

4. Instructors from multiple agencies receive a train-the-trainer course on a new vent prop that the local combination department received. (Photo by Steven Ashbridge.)

This association took a hiatus during the pandemic but has come back with renewed vigor to create better knowledge sharing between agencies. For example, instead of one agency paying $3,000 to bring in a vertical ventilation class, five departments can split the cost, with spots reserved for each agency. For larger classes, outside participation can help fill open seats. This recoups some of the financial burden. As a result, we meet our knowledge-sharing goal and those in attendance can bring the class information back to their teams (photo 3).

We are lucky to have contract training available through our state division of fire safety. Each year, we can apply for training in our region. These can range from formal certifications such as Fire Officer I and Instructor I to classes taught on more specific topics, including elevator operations and thermal imaging.

Over the past year, we’ve begun applying for different classes to improve the diversity of training brought to our area. This approach can help alleviate the financial burden.

If financial burden is a consideration for your department, here are important steps you can take:

• Start gathering bids for your agency six months prior to the new budget year.
• As soon as you know your budget can support it, establish a tentative course schedule with your neighboring agencies.
• Study the needs of your agency and ask your neighbors to do the same for their agencies. See where the knowledge gaps are and aim for classes that address those areas.

Don’t forget to bring in training targeted at veterans and potential incident commanders. They need it too!

3. Share the Props

Training props are an essential part of business for any agency. With the increased need for realism that we don’t always get on the job, these props provide an avenue to keep our skills sharp. Although necessary, some props don’t come cheap. Yes, there are ways we can make our own props at a discounted price, and that surely helps. However, some quality props out there can benefit us all.

Here’s a breakdown around taking inventory of your agency’s needs. These steps are ideal for training officers, chiefs, and other decision makers at your agency:

• Meet up with the same person at your neighboring agencies.
• Find the gaps in each of your training materials. Be sure to address this equally. For example, our neighbors have a mobile forcible entry and ventilation prop. We have a burn facility. We schedule time to use the props as needed throughout the year to assist in training nights, recruit academies, and general crew training. This is also true for apparatus. We have the only aerial devices in the county. If their crew wants to practice feeding an aerial device, we set up a training day/evening to do so. In turn, my staff has limited or no access to tanker shuttle operations. They provide porta-tank access for our staff so they can train on drafting operations.

4. Share the Instructors

We read so much information from popular figures in the fire service that we often discount the intelligent people in our midst. But really, the key to success is identifying the unique strengths of each instructor and empowering them to make a difference. For example, if you have a neighbor who is more adept at vehicle extrication, don’t be afraid to use one of their instructors. This is also handy when it comes to teaching Firefighter I and II, pumper/operator courses, and a range of leadership classes.

The Work Ahead

These areas involve a lot of work at upfront. Once the ball gets rolling, many of the systems are easy to maintain. Just keep these critical points in mind, and you’ll see the differences.

• Keep regularly scheduled events, open lines of communication, and plans for major events.
• Share your department’s training plans as well as your calendar.
• If someone misses a great training program due to vacation or illness, work with a neighboring department so they can attend the same training with the neighboring department.
• Find time to meet with fellow training officers and chiefs and share a cup of coffee.
• Talk about areas and where you want to improve. Write down the ideas and save them! Use these as reference points for years to come and adapt as needed.

You will never find a one-size-fits-all method when it comes to forming a strong relationship with mutual-aid partners. Every situation will be different. It’s as simple as that. We owe it to our citizens to have a highly efficient team that works well with its neighbors. We owe it to our firefighters to give them high-quality training. If we stay mission focused, we can’t go wrong.

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MATT SOER is a 20-year veteran of the fire service and the division chief of training and safety for the Warrensburg (MO) Fire Department. He has served in volunteer, combination, and career fire agencies. Soer has served as a fire and EMS instructor since 2013. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Central Missouri.