BY JENNIFER CORNELL
Training crews is one of the most important functions of a fire service officer. Our profession demands that we be ready for anything from confined space rescue to structure fires to building collapse. The multitude of legal mandates on training leaves little time to train in other skills. The subjects you choose to cover beyond those required must be relevant to your department and the situations you can expect to face. It is imperative that officers prepare valuable and meaningful training sessions that will be the most effective.
Whether you are a training officer or a line officer, teaching new firefighters to recognize building construction features and hazards is essential and daunting. Although many departments incorporate building construction into new employee training or require new firefighters to take classes on building construction at local colleges, transferring that book knowledge to the street is difficult. Have you ever had the experience of standing under a truss roof discussing trusses with rookies who did not recognize the roof over their heads? Even firefighters knowledgeable in building construction can benefit from more training, since the construction field is growing and changing constantly.
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