TRAINING OPERATIONS IN SMALL DEPARTMENTS

1. NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING OPERATIONS IN SMALL DEPARTMENTS UNIT 6:COURSE DELIVERY AND EVALUATION

2. GOAL To manage the delivery and evaluation of training.

3. TERMINAL OBJECTIVES • Describe issues important to a training schedule. • Explain where to find appropriate training resources. • Describe the elements of program and student evaluation.

4. CURRICULA SELECTION AND DELIVERY CONSIDERATIONS How do you acquire your training programs, curricula, and media support materials?

5. COURSE DELIVERY AND EVALUATION • Consider options available for obtaining curricula for training programs. • Development of materials. • Advantages. • Disadvantages.

6. COURSE DELIVERY AND EVALUATION (cont'd) • Consider options available for obtaining curricula for training programs. • Purchased materials. • Advantages. • Disadvantages.

7. COURSE DELIVERY AND EVALUATION (cont'd) • Consider options available for obtaining curricula for training programs. • Methodology to update material to reflect new technology. • Advantages. • Disadvantages.

8. COURSE DELIVERY AND EVALUATION (cont'd) What problems have you had with delivering training?

9. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES WITH TRAINING DELIVERY • Scheduling • Size of class • Facilities • Obtaining instructors

10. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES WITH TRAINING DELIVERY (cont'd) Build flexibility in training delivery. • For any planned training activity that may be affected by weather, equipment availability, or other factors, an alternate lesson should be planned and prepared for. • Weather may have an effect on safety or on the learning environment.

11. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES WITH TRAINING DELIVERY (cont'd) Have logistical issues been planned? • Have safety precautions been considered? • Is facility ready? • Is audiovisual equipment ready? • Are Instructor Guides (IG's) and Student Manuals (SM's) ready?

12. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES A significant amount of time must be devoted to the development of training curricula. • Development of curricula and media is time-consuming. • Every training session should be delivered from a lesson plan or plan of presentation.

13. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) • Training materials may be obtained from several sources--some free or on loan. • Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA). • "Recognizing and Identifying Hazardous Materials." • "Hazardous Materials Incident Analysis." • "Hazardous Materials: Pesticide Challenge." • "Emergency Response Procedures for Agricultural Ammonia Emergencies." • "Handling LP Gas Leaks and Fires." • Many others.

14. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) Producers and distributors of commercially available materials: • NFPA • IFSTA • Many others

15. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) State fire training programs and community colleges that offer fire-related training programs may have training materials or programs available.

16. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) Evaluating commercially available training • Do the curricula match our needs? • Does the timeframe for delivery fit? • Do the curricula follow national professional standards? • Will supplier provide a sample or loan to review? • Can media be used to introduce subject, develop subject, or summarize subject?

17. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) National Fire Academy (NFA)--most 2-day courses are developed, pilot tested, and made available for purchase. • National Audio Visual Center (NAVC). • National Technical Information Service (NTIS). 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 (703) 487-4650 • r

18. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) NFA courses • Currently 34 different subject titles available. • Prices range from $200 to $430. • Training package includes Instructor Guide, Student Manual, and all audiovisual media needed to deliver program.

19. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) NFA courses: • Leadership I--Strategies for Company Success • Leadership II--Strategies for Personal Success • Leadership III--Strategies for Supervisory Success

20. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES NFA courses (cont'd): • Managing Company Tactical Operations • Public Fire Education Planning • Building Construction for Fire Suppression Forces: Principles, Wood, and Ordinary Construction • Building Construction for Fire Suppression Forces: Noncumbustible and Fire-Resistive Construction • Preparation • Decisionmaking--Developing Strategic Goals • Tactics--Developing Tactical Objectives

21. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) NFA Managing Company Tactical Operations: Tactics (MCTO:T) • Rescue • Ventilation • Confinement/Extinguishment • Salvage • Overhaul • Exposure protection

22. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) NFA MCTO:T • Uses three-dimensional simulation activity. • Students are divided into companies. • Incident Commander (IC) position is filled. • Requires communication between companies and IC.

23. SELECTING AND OBTAINING TRAINING RESOURCES (cont'd) NFA MCTO:T • Provides 20-minute overview of construction and occupancy features similar to that being used in scenario. • Emphasizes path of fire spread. • Highlights anticipated fire separations-firewall between dwelling and attached garage.

24. Video: "Conducting Simulation Exercises"

25. EVALUATING THE TRAINING FUNCTION As the fire department Training Officer, is it important to evaluate your training program? Why?

26. EVALUATING THE TRAINING FUNCTION (cont'd) What types of functions should you evaluate? Why?

27. EVALUATING THE TRAINING FUNCTION Evaluation considerations should include two major functions of training program: • Process evaluation • Impact evaluation

28. PROCESS EVALUATION • Also known as program monitoring • Documents that a program provided some service, nature of service, and who completed it • Measures extent of program's activity • Number of students attending • Hours spent on training • Budget details

29. IMPACT EVALUATION • Answers questions • Measures performance and change • Measures behavior change • Can use pretests and posttests • Can measure behavior change by observation

30. EVALUATING INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM PERFORMANCE Evaluation of individual or team success in meeting established objectives or job performance • Written examination • Oral questioning • Practical evaluation

31. PRACTICAL APPLICATION TESTING OSHA 1910.120 for hazardous materials response states that one way to accomplish annual refresher is to demonstrate competency and document the measurement methodology instead of classroom refresher training. • Practical evaluation--evaluators. • Team evaluation--measures team success.

32. EXAMPLE OF TEAM EVALUATION • A company of three firefighters and one officer, when given a pumper, shall respond to a specified location, establish a supply line from a hydrant, advance an 1-3/4-inch handline to the third floor, and discharge a fog pattern from the window, within 5 minutes. • Can one member of the team cause the team to fail?

33. CONSIDERATIONS FOR EVALUATING TRAINING PROGRAMS • How effective is the program? • What to do with curricula once goals have been met and objectives accomplished? • What should be done if program is not meeting goals and objectives? • What should be done if evaluation identifies weaknesses in curricula? • What should be done if material is failing to meet program needs?

34. Activity 6.1Training Program Evaluation

35. SUMMARY • A fire department Training Officer should consider all options available to obtain training curricula and training media. • The training curricula should be evaluated to ensure it meets the needs of the organization and has appropriate objectives for the local audience.

36. SUMMARY (cont'd) • Quality training curricula developed by the NFA is available at very reasonable prices. • An evaluation of both the product and impact of training programs should be done frequently enough to provide the Training Officer with guidance and direction for the training program.