Instructor Preparedness
Any elementary or secondary teacher will tell you a successful lesson is 90% in the preparation while the actual delivery is a fraction of that time. Instruction within the fire service is no different although it is arguable that this point has to be driven home more so due to the fact that fire service instructors may not have as much training in the field of education not to mention the fact that the venue for a fire instructor is typically a lot more varied. The point is if your intention is to be a fire instructor and/or stay in that part of the profession then you better know that in order to be successful you are going to have to put A LOT of time into preparing your lesson.
Are we talking about an actual lesson plan here? Actually, no. That topic can be quite extensive and appeared in a previous article in this column. What kind of preparation are we talking about then? We are talking about organization and logistics because one of the exciting things about teaching (add some sarcasm here) is there never really is a dull moment. Just when you think everything is going smoothly and according to plan all of a sudden, your projector bulb dies - now what? Do you have an extra? How are you going to present your material if your projector is inoperative or unavailable from your employer; assuming that is the method you chose?
Being a professional fire instructor means in part being prepared as much as possible just like on the fireground. But just like on the fireground there will be situations beyond your control that you will just have to roll with to get the best result possible. There is no way to prepare for everything but remember that “chance favors the prepared mind”. OK, so let’s take a given scenario.
As a fire instructor you have been tasked to provide a refresher course on ropes and knots at “Inferno Fire Department”. The location is two hours away but you promised a Lt. you know that you could drive up and assist with drill since it is a very small company and no one is really proficient with knot tying. What happens next? Even for experienced instructors if you don’t have a checklist, it may be a good time to create one (a generic one appears at the end of the article). It is best to have a modified and specific checklist for each drill because the props will likely be different for each.
Start by testing all of the equipment you plan on using. With ropes and knots it is customary to start with a short presentation on the types of ropes, differences between utility and life safety rope etc.. you get the idea. The point is to make sure your projector works (notice I said yours because it really is better not to have to rely on availability from an employer). A working projector includes testing your laptop or other source. Be sure to include in that laptop check the remote used to advance the slides is working as well as ensuring you have extra batteries for the latter component.
If you have a screen check to see if there is any damage but if there is an exception to “always have backup” it would be a projector screen because of the bulk and difficulty to transport. This is where an instructor has to be creative. Carry a flat, white sheet to use in a pinch. Mine had grommets in the corners to make it easy to hang.
Because the venue is two hours away it may be difficult to get there to scope out the room ahead of time so ask the Lt. who initially booked the drill for some information. You should ask for pictures of the room so you have a general idea of the layout. Ask questions like:
1) How large is the room?
2) Where are the bathrooms?
3) Is there a projector and screen? (Note - bring your own anyway and use theirs as a backup)
4) How many power outlets are there?
5) Is there WiFi available? Make sure you have HotSpot capability and/or a flash drive with your presentation.
6) Will there be food or at least refreshments?
7) Is there a separate space for the practical application?
8) Is there a training ground and what is the proximity to the classroom?
9) How many firefighters will be attending?
Lastly, being prepared means arriving EARLY. As the phrase goes “early is on time and on time is late”. That way if there are any issues they can be resolved and mitigated. For example, say you forgot to bring practice ropes then you can run down to a local hardware store and get some rope to cut up. Yes, traffic happens and that may be one of those “things on the fireground” you can’t control but you can control when you leave and planning out an alternate route.
To see sample checklists and a sample budget form, go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fU-NTCG6Vkv_hq0UH-4pmaY87WJPSDVIbGc_AvhaN4U/edit
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