The City of Sheboygan Fire Department responds to many different types of emergency and non-emergency incidents. To provide the highest level of service to our customers during these incidents, our department must maintain competence in a broad range of skills. This is accomplished through continual training.
This training starts on each firefighter’s first day, when they begin a one-year probationary period. During this time, they are expected to learn and are tested on proficiency in basic skills such as throwing ladders, advancing hose-lines, and being in charge of a medical emergency. Then, for the rest of their career, they participate in training that hones skills, allows practice working with multi-unit responses, maintains medical certifications, or teaches skills for new roles that the Firefighter may move into as they advance in their career.
Training may take place at the direction of Company Officers with just a station crew, where they regularly work on perishable skills. You may have noticed our ladder truck set up in front of a station or throughout the city doing this type of training. As firefighting techniques or equipment are updated, individuals may attend outside training to bring those new skills back to the department.
Some trainings may involve working with other agencies such as the Sheboygan Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard Sheboygan, County Fire Departments, or other County agencies. These events allow fire personnel to become familiar with members from other organizations and refine techniques that may have to be implemented in the case of an actual event. These trainings may include scenarios such as mass casualty, high angle rescues, water rescues, or other large-scale events.
We constantly evaluate our performance from actual incidents that we have responded on. For large scale incidents, we perform critiques, during which we identify what went well, and what we may need to work on in the future. These training opportunities are then planned, delivered, and re-evaluated. Training represents a significant effort and investment for the Sheboygan Fire Department and its members, with the goal of contributing to the safety of our community.