Doing More with Less:
How to Stretch Your Department's Training Dollars

It’s no secret that fire departments everywhere are seeing their budgets reduced year after year. Faced with declining tax dollars and an increasing number of safety requirements, many departments must now do more with less. This ongoing situation has forced some to consider offering a portion of their training online. Though hands-on training will always be required, a good percentage of fire training—including safety procedures and content traditionally reserved for classroom instruction—can often be accomplished more efficiently using the Internet. Online training gives firefighters the ability to take the curriculum on their own schedule, saving fire departments the instructor, overtime, and fuel expenses commonly associated with classroom-style instruction.

Reducing Overtime Saves Taxpayer Dollars
Many departments pay their firefighters overtime to attend training sessions or make-up sessions they may have missed due to injury, illness or being out in the field. Unfortunately, emergency situations don’t pause for training! The Internet, however, allows training to be easily integrated into the firefighter’s schedule. Training can even be completed during downtime at the station when there are no emergencies, leaving less idle time for firefighters.

Delivering All Training In-house Can Be Inefficient
Staying on top of who has, and has not, received training can be time consuming. Fire departments need to re-train most or all of their staff on a regular basis to comply with local, state and national mandates. While an in-house instructor can deliver the training, this takes the instructor away from other responsibilities. In addition, it can be difficult to gather large groups of personnel at once to conduct a classroom session—often necessitating many make-up sessions. While in-house training may still be required for demonstrating certain skills and techniques, departments can save time and money by delivering and tracking the didactic portions of their curriculum online.

Minimizing Trips to Offsite Training Centers Decreases Costs
Many departments conduct training at off-site training centers. This means that fire trucks and engines are used for transporting firefighters to and from the center—not only taking the firefighters and equipment out of service but resulting in expensive fuel charges. Again, though some training must be done hands-on at the training center, a significant portion can be accomplished efficiently online, saving departments a substantial amount of money on fuel costs and engine maintenance.

Online Training Fits the Schedules of Working Firefighters
Many firefighters, especially in areas where the department is volunteer-based, work full-time jobs that make it difficult to fit in required training. Those who have families may find it especially hard to balance home life with the responsibilities of being a volunteer firefighter. However, online courses allow firefighters to complete the instruction when, and where, they have time—since all that is required is access to a computer and the Internet.

Online Training Supplements Onsite Training, Rather Than Replacing It
While hands-on training is necessary to teach firefighters certain skills as well as how to handle all kinds of emergency situations, online training can provide cash-strapped departments with an excellent alternative to instructor-led sessions. Not only can fire departments save money on fuel and overtime, they can also save their firefighters and Training Officers time by efficiently delivering and tracking training online.