In 2019 FireWare was approached by Ruud IJtsma to play a role in creating an accelerated training concept for the Team Alkmaar Region, a part of the North-Holland North Safety Region. All the fire stations have properly-working and high-quality exercise materials available, but many of the firefighters have not been fully instructed in how to use these materials. And that's exactly where we fit in!
In order to significantly improve the quality of the staging during the evening courses, there was a need to sufficiently instruct all the volunteers in the region on how to stage fires. That was quite a challenge for our staging specialists, as the Team Alkmaar Region has no less than 17 fire stations!
Everyone moving in the same direction
All the volunteers in the region were invited to attend the sessions. Over 32 evening sessions, the participants were trained over two hours to stage a fire. They "played" with sound and experimented with the combination of light effects and smoke. Although the training concept was very practically-oriented, that practical approach succeeds or fails according to the theoretical substantiation. The emphasis was on creating images and stimulating the senses.
Realistic staging while under time constraints
An often-heard nightmare among firefighters is that it takes so much time to create effective staging. The exercise leader might arrive home at 17.30, with the evening session set to start less than two hours later. And he or she has to have supper and put the kids to bed before heading off to the fire station. And then they still have to create a good scenario.
We provided practical advice that allowed the fire stations to stage a proper fire scenario in no less than four minutes, each and every evening. That is a time-saving strategy that was very welcome!
Creative staging with a dash of humour
During the evening sessions the resources that were available on-site or in the immediate vicinity were always used. For example, the scenarios mimicked a tree in flames or a burning car that still contained an occupant. The FireWare bus was also, at the initiative of the firefighting volunteers, the regular target of a range of fire simulations. It can be fun to tease the staging specialists! 😉
A crash-course in staging scenarios
Under normal conditions we can offer greater depth while teaching scenario staging. The concept for the firefighting volunteers of the Team Alkmaar Region was a shortened version that saw us cover the firefighting aspects through a few basic steps. In our Basic Staging Course we provide further knowledge about how to create and exercise in realistic scenarios with your own team. We go to a greater depth with the materials and cover a wider range of scenarios.
Would you like to know what FireWare can do for you when it comes to training? Then get in touch with us! Our instructors are available for training both groups and individuals.
