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Archive for November, 2014

Train Your Crew to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service

Customer Service in the Fire Service
Editor’s Note: This is the third tip from TargetSolutions’ special report, “Eight Great Tips for Training Your Crew,” a best practices guide. To view the entire report, please click here.

Emergency responders take incredible risks to help others. The courage, integrity and talent it takes to do this job should be respected by everyone. At the same time, emergency responders have an obligation to treat everyone with respect. Providing honorable, dedicated service to the community requires outstanding customer service in the fire service.

“We have to be sober and salient 24/7, but we only have to be nice eight times a day for 20 minutes at a time. That is mandatory. If you can’t do that, just stay in the truck. It’s about the added value. Mrs. Smith is going to remember how she felt because of the effort we make to connect.”
Alan Brunacini, Retired Chief of Phoenix Fire Department
The question is how does a training administrator instill this mindset in personnel who struggle with this concept?
Without question, some personnel will grow unhappy with the profession, the sacrifices they make, and the increasing workload. They may feel burnt out. But it’s critical every patient is treated as if they are on vacation. You read that right … vacation. Granted, emergency response is far from a day at the beach, but the need for first-rate customer service is just the same.
Retired Chief Alan Brunacini is an ardent believer in the importance of outstanding customer service in the fire service. He believes citizens will strongly remember the first two minutes and the last three minutes they spend with responders during emergencies. To encourage the right behavior, Brunacini says leaders need to treat personnel how they want them to treat the public.
To make sure your organization does everything it can to please customers, make sure the right type of people have been hired and have been trained on how critical this is to the success of the organization. Personnel need to be professional at all times. Remember, if citizens are treated well, it will pay dividends in the future when emergency services need public support.
Tips for Fire Department Training

NFPA 1710: Simplifying the Standard for Career Fire Departments

TargetSolutions sponsored Firehouse’s special webcast on Nov. 13 that covered NFPA 1710. A recording of the webcast is now available.
NFPA 1710 exists to reduce the threat of fire and other hazards by providing and advocating codes and standards. On Nov. 13, Chairman of the National Fire Protection Association’s 1710 Committee, William “Shorty” Bryson, discussed this topic during a unique webcast presentation, “NFPA 1710: Simplifying the Standard for Career Fire Departments.”
Bryson delivered an overview of NFPA 1710’s standards, protocols and requirements, as well as future changes with the 2016 edition on the horizon. During the event, which was hosted by Firehouse, Bryson emphasized how NFPA 1710 brings to light necessary safety measures that are critical to a fire department.
If you missed the presentation, but would like to watch a recorded version, please click here. If you would like more information about this webcast, or TargetSolutions’ internet-based training system, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

TargetSolutions Needs Your Help Planning the Inaugural Risk Summit for 2015

TargetSolutions is planning to host its first Risk Summit in November 2015 in San Diego. The special two-day conference will deliver platform managers the opportunity to receive free hands-on training from TargetSolutions representatives, attend educational breakout sessions, and network with other risk managers.
To make this event as valuable as possible, TargetSolutions is surveying its clients about what they would like to see at the 2015 inaugural Risk Summit.
“This will be a great opportunity for clients looking to learn more about TargetSolutions’ online training platform,” said Kelly Zielinski, who is the business unit manager for TargetSolutions’ Strategic Risk Management Division. “We have a lot of great ideas to make this meaningful for risk managers, but we would love to hear other ideas to make it as successful as possible.”

Under Construction: The Fire Department Training Program

TargetSolutions sponsored a special webcast presentation on Nov. 4 that delivered valuable insight for fire department leaders on how to build and maintain training systems.
It is critical for fire departments to evaluate their training programs on an ongoing basis. That point was driven home by Des Plaines (Ill.) Fire Department’s Division Chief Forest Reeder on Nov. 4 during a special webcast presentation, “Under Construction: The Fire Department Training Program.”
“Training programs always have to be a work in progress,” Reeder said during the hour-long event delivered by Fire Engineering with sponsorship from TargetSolutions. “It almost has to be written in pencil. It needs to adapt to different things that happen during calls, and different things that come down the pipe in terms of SOPs and procedures.”
A proper training program can be defined as one that doesn’t offer just enough training for members to perform adequately, but quality training that ensures they can’t get it wrong, said Reeder, who has been in the fire service since 1978 and is the Fire Officer I and II coordinator of Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.
Reeder also spoke to the importance of incorporating technology in today’s training and mentioned that every moment is a learning opportunity that should not be taken for granted.
“Make sure training allows members to be a little bit better, a little bit faster, a little bit safer, and a little bit smarter,” he said.
If you would like more information about this webcast, or TargetSolutions’ training system, please contact us at (800) 840-8048. 

Educate Employees on How to Protect Themselves from Infectious Diseases by Properly Donning, Doffing PPE

Community Resources features dozens of valuable items on how to manage PPE. This month’s top resource is a video from Wake County EMS, “Donning and Doffing of Biohazard PPE.”

At a time when the Ebola virus is still making news on a daily basis, it is critical first responders are educated on best practices for donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE). TargetSolutions has provided a link in Community Resources to a 7 minute, 27 second video from Wake County EMS (N.C.) that is highly educational for first responders faced with known or suspected infectious diseases.

Wake County’s video, “Donning and Doffing of Biohazard PPE,” has been selected as TargetSolutions’ Resource of the Month for November. It outlines proper technique for putting on PPE, followed by appropriate steps for removing PPE. The video offers two key points for the removal of infected equipment: Accept help from other assisting responders on the scene and always use slow, methodical movements.
Several accompanying items from Wake County EMS have been uploaded into Community Resources, including procedure guides for doffing and donning PPE. The guides provide step-by-step, detailed instructions to ensure compliance and avoid contamination.
There is also an Infectious Disease Response Plan from Wake County EMS that identifies key steps during EMS response to a patient who is suspected of having an infectious disease, like Ebola.
With TargetSolutions, organizations can deliver these items to employees and track completions. If you would like to view these and other valuable resources, please log in to your organization’s TargetSolutions site and search “Wake County PPE” under the Community Resources tab. If you have any questions about accessing these resources, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.