Volunteer Firefighter Training Guide

Use this guide to keep you regular training nights meaningful and engaging

by John M. Buckman III

Keeping firefighting skills sharp is a challenge. And volunteer and part-time departments face a variety of obstacles from training resources to firefighter availability restraints. Obstacles aside, we have to keep our people at a high level of competence.

For a firefighter to be effectively competent in the skills identified below, they can’t be performed once. What does it take to become an expert or master performer in a given field? Roughly 10,000 hours of practice. That common rule of thumb was popularized by Malcom Gladwell in his bestseller “Outliers: The Story of Success.”

That 10,000 number is not reality for a firefighter. I would say that it takes a minimum of four and as many as seven times to become competent at a skill and that skill must be demonstrated every 60 days. The proficiency in the skill will begin to deteriorate for most people at about 30 days.

Not all skills have equal value; some are critical skills, some are not. Non-critical skills may not need to be practiced as often as critical skills.

Each fire chief or training officer should identify the critical skills necessary for each firefighter to demonstrate competency and how often those skills should be demonstrated in a given time period. Training should be conducted during day and night time hours, and in various weather conditions.

Below is a template to assist the training officer in developing an annual training program to enhance firefighter skills. The list may not be fully feasible for some volunteer and on-call fire departments depending on equipment and apparatus availability. The training topics are not presented in priority order. This guide can help volunteer and on-call departments establish and carry out a plan to keep firefighters in peak form.

If you want to download a printable PDF of the training guide, click on the link below

Volunteer Firefighter Training Guide

Don PPE and SCBA

Don assigned PPE from a seated position.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 10 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, PPE

Personnel: 1

Don PPE and SCBA

Don assigned PPE from a standing position.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 10 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, PPE

Personnel: 1

Mechanical Ventilation

Establish positive-pressure ventilation for a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15-30 minutes

Equipment: Ventilation fan

Personnel: 2

Vertical Ventilation

Establish vertical ventilation for a one-story residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: Extension ladder, roof ladder, pick head ax, chain saw

Personnel: 3

Establish a RIT

Gather equipment and prepare to be deployed as a RIT in accordance with department procedures and NFPA standard on a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: Based upon local policy, minimum SCBA, stokes basket, ax, halligan bar, rope or rescue strap, chain saw

Personnel: 2-3

Initial Fire Attack

Advance an attack line into the first floor of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15-30 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar

Personnel: 2-3

Initial Fire Attack, Second Floor

Advance an attack line into the second floor of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15-30 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar

Personnel 2-3

Initial Fire Attack, Basement

Advance an attack line into the basement of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15-30 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar

Personnel 2-3

Primary Search

Complete a primary search of the first floor of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar, room search completed indicator

Personnel: 2-3

Primary Search, Second Floor

Complete a primary search of the second floor of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar, room search completed indicator

Personnel: 2-3

Primary Search, Basement

Complete a primary search of the basement of a residential structure.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, halligan bar, room search completed indicator

Personnel: 2-3

Primary Search, Apartment Complex

Complete a primary search of the first floor of an apartment complex with five 800-square-foot apartments.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, ax or halligan bar, room search completed indicator

Personnel: 2-4

Primary Search, Apartment Building Second Floor

Complete a primary search of the second floor of an apartment complex with five 800-square-foot apartments.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 30-45 minutes

Equipment: SCBA, 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, ax or halligan bar, room search completed indicator

Personnel: 2-4

Fire Extension, Ceilings

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: Ceiling prop, drywall, drywall hook, pike pole, ceiling puller

Personnel 2-3

Fire Extension, Walls

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: Wall prop, drywall, drywall hook, pike pole, ax,

Personnel 2-3

Utility Control, Exterior

Turn utilities (gas and or electric) off at exterior controls in accordance with policy and procedures.

Skill Level: Firefighter I

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Utility simulator

Personnel: 2-3

Pump Operator

Engage pump and supply water to 200 feet of 1 ¾-inch handline flowing 200 gpm; disengage pump and return to road capable.