Photo By Karen Abeyasekere | U.S. Air Force Airman Corban La Quey, left, and Airman Jeniel DeJesus, center, 100th...... read more read more
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Training for any new Airmen is essential when they head to their first duty station, but for firefighters – as first responders who will be saving lives – that training is even more vital. Following what is known as the “Rookie Book,” their initial training generally takes up to four months before they can then begin their upgrade training. The Royal Air Force Mildenhall Fire Department has now created their own “Rookie Academy,” and slashed that training time to three weeks.
Building from an idea from Staff Sgt. Connor Nance, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department assistant chief of training, the Rookie Academy provides the recruits with intense and consistent training for three weeks.
“The idea behind it was that we wanted to get our brand-new Airmen, who are straight out of the fire academy, through the ‘Rookie book’ – which consists of 220 line-items – in an effective way where we’re trying to maintain continuity and training, and introduce them to the department as a whole.”
The biggest issue found in the past was continuity. In the past, rookies arrived at the station and were assigned trainers, who then taught them completely different ways of how to do the job. The Rookie Academy mitigates challenges faced in the fire department.
“Everything we take from tech school is ‘bare bones’ then we build on that,” said the assistant chief of training. “One firefighter will show a rookie how to pull a hose or throw a ladder differently from another firefighter, and we found that to be a big problem when incidents happened, When the new trainees had to respond, and people were, for example, pulling the hoses differently, it was starting to make a disorganized mess on our calls.”
The intense program includes basic firefighting skills, structural fires, hazardous materials and decontamination training, writing assignments, and oral boards consisting of a panel of three fire officers.
“With the Rookie Academy, they all get the exact same training when they first arrive here, and they’re being taught by the department as a whole,” he said. “It keeps consistency in training, which is what we’re trying to work on. It’s shown to be really effective already. Our main purpose was to enhance that quality and consistency of training, ensuring all our new firefighters are prepared and capable, ready to ride fire trucks and respond to emergencies and help the community.”
The four-month program, which the Air Force fire house adopted, has been shortened to three weeks, enabling the new firefighters to get a jump start on their upgrade training, while also maintaining the quality of training.
“I took all of our line items and condensed them into a schedule; every day is planned and every day the Airmen know what’s coming,” Nance remarked. “Originally working that training into their shifts was what took a long time, but when I realized I could take them and dedicate them solely to being in a Rookie Book Academy over a three-week period, I figured that would be the quickest and most effective way as their mindset going into it would be purely training and being a rookie learning their job.”
Before each new cycle of Rookie Academy begins, Nance recruits from the fire department for a training cadre to lead the course.
“The leads for each day are responsible for planning that specific day. I give them a lesson plan of all the benchmarks they need to hit ahead of time, then they build their day how they want, assisted by personnel who are on shift. That’s really nice because it allows our shift firefighters to get really familiar with our rookies before they ever start on shift. It also means they already know the rookies’ work ethic, strengths and weaknesses before they ever start riding in the truck with them, so then they aren’t figuring it out on calls.
“One of the things we want to hit with them really early in their career is that training mindset and how important it is, so getting them where this is their sole job, Monday to Friday, has really helped with that,” said Nance. “They start their days with physical training sessions for 45 minutes, then shower, have breakfast and meet in the classroom for the day.”
The Rookie Academy is designed to be very progressive, starting off very simple and making them more comfortable in their protective gear as the Airmen go on. The rookies receive 80 percent hands-on training, and 20 percent in the classroom.
“With the high number of new firefighters coming to RAF Mildenhall, I needed to build the most effective way to get these guys through the Rookie Academy with a high-quality level of training while maintaining that consistency of training across the board,” said the assistant chief of training. “We can now confidently say that all of our rookies have been taught the same way to pull hoses and throw ladders. That’s really important, as now our crew chiefs know what to expect when it comes to who’s sitting behind them on that fire truck.”
The RAF Mildenhall Rookie Academy concludes with live fire training on a mock aircraft trainer, before the rookies’ final evaluation and mock board with three fire officers on the panel.
“It was a lot, but I think it really helped because it gave me more time to do my [career development courses] afterwards,” said Airman 1st Class Jeremiah Crawley, 100th CES Fire Department firefighter.
Crawley is one of eight rookies to graduate from the station’s first Rookie Academy.
“There were certain parts that were more physically demanding than what we did at the fire academy, but overall having someone there for the purpose of teaching you, rather than being given a book and you have to ask what to do, is a lot better,” remarked Crawley. “I particularly liked learning about tying different knots, whether to tie stuff off, or lifting equipment onto the roof of a building. I feel this intense training has been very beneficial; instead of drawing it out, doing a lot in a short space of time really makes you appreciate the certificate when they hand it to you. You can say ‘I did it!’ I’m looking forward to now being able to expand on that knowledge.”
The RAF Mildenhall Fire Department Rookie Academy's innovative approach to training and development is proving to be a game-changer. By embedding a Ready Culture and sparking innovation, the Rookie Academy is preparing its newest firefighters to meet the demands of the modern fire service with confidence and skill. Through a focus on continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptability, the program is cultivating a new generation of proactive problem-solvers and leaders in the field. As the fire service continues to evolve, the RAF Mildenhall Fire Department is well-positioned to lead the way, thanks to its commitment to innovation and excellence.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2024 07:59 |
| Story ID: | 481052 |
| Location: | RAF MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK, GB |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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