Developing Your Personal Training Philosophy Integrity is who you are in the dark…when no one is looking. Who you are is driven and guided by principles. These principles have their foundations in religion and philosophy. It’s the core of who we are, and there’s nothing stronger than your personal philosophy on how you live your life. But how strong do you feel about training? If training is so important, perhaps it’s time to develop your personal training philosophy. My favorite training philosophy is the motto of the Los Angeles City Fire Department, “Train like your life depends on it...because it does.” It’s a clever phrase and cuts right to the chase. I’ve seen it appear more and more in fire service publications, so it has finally caught on. It has been the source of my enthusiasm towards fire-service training from the moment I first heard it. I remember saying to myself, “I believe this, and I will live it.” My personal philosophy is not quite so catchy, but it is original. “ I will be called upon to restore order to chaos. Whatever situation I enter into, my chances of success and survival are directly related to the level I have allowed myself to be trained.” Underscored, “My probability of success and survival in a risky, uncontrolled emergency are directly related to the frequency of practice and the caliber of realistic training.” I’m currently reading American Soldier by General Tommy Franks. One of his core principles was delivering realistic training to his troops. In addition to superior firepower, this four-star general cited realistic training as a key component for U.S. troops defeating the Iraqi army in Operation Desert Storm. Why is realistic training so important? Because the training I deliver as an officer and an instructor may someday be called upon by a student to save a life…maybe even his own. Many situations firefighters find themselves in are high risk, low frequency. This means very dangerous, but we don’t run into these situations very often. That’s why we need to plan for them and practice like we play. Since September 11th, there’s no such thing as an outrageous, half-baked scenario. What would be the reaction of your crew and the chief if you came up with the following scenarios? A lunatic passenger shoots a transit bus driver while the bus is crossing over a bridge. The driver loses control of the bus; it crashes through the barriers, falls 65 feet off the bridge and lands on the roof of an apartment complex below. How about a small private plane that gets tangled up on a power line while trying to land? The plane is suspended upside and hanging from the power line by one wheel. The pilot is still trapped inside the cockpit. Or how about a huge, industrial crane that topples over and lands on a pickup truck, smashing the cab and trapping the driver? These are all incidents that actually happened here in Seattle, Washington. Let me ask you another question. How do you feel masking up, grabbing the nozzle and charging into “The Big One” knowing your apparatus and equipment, your bunking gear, and SCBAs were purchased from the lowest bidder? Do you low-ball your training? Are you the lowest bidder to your students and crew when you deliver training? I’m not talking about teaching fees. I’m talking about the caliber of realistic training. It still irritates me how long it has taken me to learn about firefighting. I had the expectation early in my career that I would be taught everything I needed to know about the job. Except for mandated training, once I made lieutenant, and then captain, a lot of the “street smart” training stopped. I guess everyone figured I already knew it; after all, I was an officer. It wasn’t until I became a captain that it really hit me how much more I needed to learn about the fireground. There were still important subjects I needed to learn about. Had I waited for the department to deliver some of this training, I’d still be waiting. I took the initiative to pursue the knowledge I felt I needed to know as a captain. The motivating factor was the responsibility that came with the title captain. I was responsible for more people and more knowledge. I had a moral obligation to my wife and children and a moral responsibility to my crew and their families to become the best-trained fire officer I could be. I was motivated to read case studies and learn the lessons of history. I was motivated to read the circumstances surrounding line of duty deaths. I was motivated to immerse myself in learning all aspects of the job so well that I could turn around and teach them. That was my benchmark for mastery and excellence. I’m still learning and I’m still studying. I realize I won’t know everything about the job, but my goal is to learn as much as I can because I don’t want to make the same mistake through ignorance that someone else already paid for with his or her life! Emergencies do not wait; they happen. And many happen at the worst possible time. Are you prepared? Tomorrow may be your day. Tomorrow may be that career-defining moment. You may only get one chance to get it right. Your personal training philosophy has to be strong. It has to be real. And you have to live it. Career success and firefighter survival depends on it. © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2005 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use
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