By JAMES McDERMOTT
In these tough economic times, training budgets are being slashed, and we need to explore alternatives to provide quality training for firefighters and fire officers. How many times have you sat in a conference class, hoping to deliver that message to your members? How many of them want advanced training but can't take a week off from their job or family to attend a conference or want to attend but the governing body can't afford it? Do you want a gauge to determine your members' commitment to training prior to sending them to a national conference?
In 2008, six volunteer departments from Suffolk County, New York, joined to form a training consortium to answer these questions. Each department contributes $600 annually, which entitles them to send as many members as they want to four seminars. The seminars are held primarily on Sunday mornings during the fall and winter at the various firehouses. Fortunately, some of the departments involved have meeting halls that can hold more than 200 firefighters comfortably. The host department normally provides breakfast.
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