Ann Arbor firefighters January 7 at the Happy’s Pizza fire. -Melanie Maxwell / The Ann Arbor News

Let me preface this post with that I have trained with several Ann Arbor firefighters and have met the training boss mentioned in the news article below from Ryan Stanton.  They were all professional, hard trainers, and possessed skills for our craft.

Stanton uncovers several “internal problems” at the Ann Arbor Fire Department that very well may be overblown for all I know…well, at least I hope so.  The one part of the article that hits home with the FDT crew discusses fire department management receiving pushback from the union and its members about an assigned training program.  The program was the Blue Card Command program that requires 50 hours of online work and then a simulation lab.  Leave out whatever your opinion of the Blue Card class is for a minute because I have a few pros and cons as well for another day.  I just happen to be a card carrying member.

Stanton reports that emails show Lt. Amy Brow, president of the union, pushed back at times when given directives, including in response to the Blue Card training.  She wrote in one email: “Please be aware that there is nothing in the contract that mandates the officers to do the Blue Card system.”

One fire officer is reported to have wrote, “I see this training as busy work.”

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Happy’s Pizza fire January 7. – Melanie Maxwell / The Ann Arbor News

Well I have news for the fire service; fire related training is not busy work.  We have at least three main duties in this profession no matter if you are a volunteer department, full-time union department, or combination department.  The duties:

• Answer the call to help people; whether it be a fire, rescue, EMS, dog on the ice, lost kid, smoke detector battery chirping at 2 am, a bat in a living room, teach fire safety and CPR, etc.
• Train for the job we do.  If you are a rookie – soak it all up.  If your a seasoned vet – teach the rookies the street smart tricks and challenge your old habits with something more efficient.  If your an officer – tactics, strategy, leadership, and management classes and then apply it.
• Remain physically fit for the job.  Simply stated – work out and get in better shape for the job we do.

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Training, the Blue Card Command program included; is not busy work.  I hope this mentality is not true and trust we will not let it be the norm for our craft.  If this is truly the unions stance; it is hogwash and an injustice to the fire service.

Pass it on!