Lookingglass Rural Fire District has recently been asked by community members why they are seeing and hearing LRFD personnel out training almost what seems like daily. Years ago, training may have only occurred once a month. Then it became once a week. Today, it can seem like LRFD personnel are constantly out conducting drills, attending classes, operating equipment, running scenarios, or utilizing emergency apparatus throughout the district.

First and foremost, this is a legitimate concern from our citizens, and it is not something we take lightly. As a small rural fire district, we are here to serve our community — not inconvenience or annoy it. We understand that seeing emergency vehicles out frequently and hearing sirens, pumps, saws, or training activity can raise questions, and we believe those questions deserve an honest answer.

LRFD also understands that increased training activity can create concerns regarding noise, lights, and overall disruption to nearby residents. Because of that, LRFD is actively looking at possible solutions to help minimize impacts on our neighbors while still allowing volunteers to complete the training necessary to safely protect the community. Some ideas currently being explored include planting privacy bushes or trees along portions of the fence line to help reduce both visibility of apparatus lighting and some of the sound associated with training activities. As with many things in a small rural district, these improvements take time and funding, but we want the community to know these concerns are being heard and considered as we continue trying to balance training needs with being respectful neighbors to the community we serve.

The simple truth is that emergency services have changed dramatically over the years. The training requirements placed on firefighters and emergency medical personnel have increased significantly. Protective equipment has become more advanced and requires more knowledge to use properly. Homes now burn hotter and faster because of modern furnishings and fuel loads. Vehicles are built differently than they were decades ago, requiring updated rescue techniques and specialized tools. Medical science continues to evolve, changing the way we assess and treat patients. Even the way firefighters attack and manage structure fires has changed as new research and national standards emerge.

Because of these changes, firefighters today must maintain a much broader skill set than firefighters of the past.

At the same time, LRFD faces challenges unique to being a small rural volunteer department.

Unlike career, combination, or staffed volunteer departments, LRFD personnel do not work scheduled shifts together every day. We do not spend entire shifts training side-by-side, exercising together, sharing meals, or routinely operating as the same crew. In many career or combination departments, firefighters arrive at work knowing exactly what seat they will ride in, what responsibilities they have, and what tasks they are expected to complete when the tones drop — regardless of the emergency type.

Those crews work together shift after shift and build strong operational familiarity. They learn each other’s habits, strengths, and tendencies. On many incidents, those crews can function with minimal communication because everyone already knows where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to do.

Volunteer departments operate differently.

At a non-staffed volunteer department like LRFD, we still build strong bonds and teamwork, but every emergency response comes with uncertainty. As officers, we are constantly asking ourselves questions such as:

• Who is responding to this call?
• How many people are coming?
• Do we have enough personnel?
• Who is qualified for which assignments?
• What positions need to be filled?
• How many responsibilities will one person have to cover?

Those answers can change dramatically depending on the season, day, or even time of day.

Volunteer response fluctuates throughout the year depending on what season of life our volunteers and community members are in at that moment. In a rural community like ours, many of our volunteers are parents balancing school events, sports schedules, and family responsibilities. Some are farmers dealing with hay season, harvest season, calving season, or long days in the field during fire season. Others are students managing school, college courses, testing, athletics, or extracurricular activities. Many are active church members balancing church services, youth programs, and community outreach activities. On top of that, most of our volunteers work full-time jobs outside the fire district.

Because of this, response levels can vary greatly depending on the day, season, or even time of day. A weekday afternoon during harvest season may look completely different than a winter evening after school hours. The middle of the night during a workweek often brings different staffing challenges than a weekend afternoon. Like many rural departments, daytime staffing is one of our greatest hurdles because volunteers are at work, in class, caring for their families, tending farms and livestock, or involved in other commitments that help keep our community functioning.

Additionally, career and combination departments often experience much higher call volumes. Repetition itself becomes training. Running large numbers of calls allows personnel to gain experience simply through frequency. Rural volunteer departments do not always have that same opportunity, which means we must intentionally create those repetitions through training.

Frankly speaking, the reason you are seeing more consecutive daily training is because we need to be prepared when those tones drop.

When someone in our community calls 911, they are not calling us on a convenient schedule. Emergencies happen without warning, and our volunteers are expected to perform safely and effectively regardless of who responds, what time it is, or what type of emergency is occurring.

The public sees the training. What they may not always see is the responsibility behind it.

Every drill, every class, every scenario, and every hour spent training is done so LRFD personnel can better protect our community, our neighboring mutual aid partners, and each other. Training ensures firefighters can operate safely in increasingly dangerous environments, make sound decisions under pressure, and provide the level of service our citizens deserve.

At the end of the day, LRFD’s goal remains simple: to provide the best service possible to the Lookingglass community with the volunteers and resources available to us. Training is one of the most important ways we can accomplish that mission.