By JAMES T. SWANICK
"The New Guy," "Probie," and "rookie" are phrases with which any new member of a volunteer fire department may be labeled. Probably the least common phrase used to refer to a new member is "probationary firefighter." In our world, that phrase seems to be too long, so we shorten it to a more comfortable term.
Never diminish or ignore the training that this new member receives. Many states and most volunteer departments require that firefighters attend a Firefighter 1 or equivalent course in basic firefighter skills and fireground operations at a fire academy. However, new firefighters at a volunteer department do not usually attend a training course immediately on joining a department. They may be required to complete a probationary period prior to attending; a course may not be scheduled at the fire academy for a few months or even a year. What happens during this time period in your department? Do the new members participate at fires and drills with no training? Who supervises the new members at fires or drills to ensure that they will not be injured or, worse yet, get someone else injured because they have no training or experience? This article suggests the training a probationary firefighter should receive before he participates in exterior operations on the fireground prior to attending a Firefighter 1 course.
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