Archive for March, 2017

The National Fire Protection Agency estimates that of the 33 million calls answered by emergency responders in 2015, only 4 percent were for working fires.

This statistic follows a noticeable trend over the last four decades: Fires are declining across the country. That doesn’t mean firefighters are any safer, however. Many believe the current landscape is just as dangerous due to a lack of real-life experiences.

This accentuates the need for quality pre-training and hands-on training that educates firefighters and makes time on the drill-yard even more productive. That’s where TargetSolutions and its new 14-course bundle written to the NFPA 1410 firefighter training standard can make a difference.

Fireground evolutions are complex mechanisms. Although considered basic skill sets, maintaining an expert level of competence with these drills is a challenge when they’re not practiced with regularity.

TargetSolutions’ new training courses, each an hour in length, beautifully highlight the process of each evolution, including a thorough explanation on the required timing and positional expectations. Hosted by subject matter expert Paul Costello, who serves as a training officer at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue in Tampa, Fla., each HD-quality course features a fully-narrated, step-by-step demonstration.

“Having everyday access to a course library of these company evolutions is going to greatly broaden the horizons for the daily company and multi-company training that we do in the fire service,” said Costello, who supervised the production of the evolutions at St. Charles Fire Department’s training facility in Missouri.

“These are drills that fire companies should practice on and master because they’re the bread and butter of what we do on the fireground…From what I have seen over the years, I’ve never seen courses of such high quality. That by itself makes these completely unique. It’s a very well thought out production from start to finish.”

Paul Costello, Training Officer, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

Please note, these courses are still going through the accreditation process in states that accept online training for firefighter recertification. For more information on TargetSolutions’ online training for fire departments, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

North Bay Schools Insurance Authority initially envisioned TargetSolutions as a backup safety training resource. It’s turned into something far more critical to the risk pool’s overall compliance.

At first, NBSIA’s Member Services Manager Suzanne Dillman thought TargetSolutions would be a luxury for the 15 school districts under its membership in Northern California. Call it an added value that would provide training convenience.What’s happened since the pool first signed on in 2010, has surprised Dillman, she said. By helping NBSIA stay abreast of critical legislative changes, TargetSolutions’ dedicated account management team has gone above and beyond to earn Dillman’s respect.

 “As new legislation develops, we need to be able to react and address the change in requirements and TargetSolutions has helped us do that,” Dillman said. “Originally we entered into an agreement with TargetSolutions to provide compliance safety training. The need we were looking to meet was mostly the mandatory sexual harassment training for supervisors. But when new laws are introduced, like mandatory pesticides training, we can work directly with TargetSolutions to make sure the new training is easily accessible and accomplished. This is more convenient than if we did it through the state and it provides members with online tracking.”

When legislation goes out, TargetSolutions is on top of the news and is quick to communicate with its pools. This is critical in California, where new laws are introduced and training updates are required.

“We’ve worked with TargetSolutions on the mandated reporter training,” Dillman said. “There is a new law in California that requires teachers to take it. Now all school employees are required to take that training. Also, Assembly Bill 2246 on Pupil Suicide Prevention, which is a new law and something TargetSolutions brought to our attention. That service has really been valuable for us.”

This isn’t to say TargetSolutions hasn’t delivered on its initial promises to NBSIA. The pool’s members have found value in the ability to schedule, deliver and track safety training. TargetSolutions offers an easy-to-use learning management system and more than 50 hours of engaging web-based training for school districts.

“Reducing claims, keeping our school districts in compliance, and reducing their exposure was the goal and TargetSolutions helps us achieve that goal.”

Suzanne Dillman, NBSIA Member Services Manager

“We have benefited from the ability to have new employees and substitute teachers in the school districts get the training they wouldn’t always be able to receive”, Dillman said.
“Some of our districts are tracking live training through TargetSolutions for things that are required by law under Cal OSHA,” Dillman said. “They require you to train employees on certain subjects at certain times and keep track of training. This is a good tool for managing all of that.”

At the end of the day, the ability to ensure safety training is available provides peace of mind to NBSIA’s pool and convenience to its districts. Ensuring all mandatory training is documented is the bow on top for the pool, she said.

If you have any questions about TargetSolutions, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

Vector Solutions, the parent company of RedVector, LearnSmart, Scenario Learning and TargetSolutions, is featured in a short-form documentary called “Behind the Scenes” hosted by James Earl Jones and airing on PBS stations across the country.

The education segment of the series features ground-breaking institutions of learning and significant organizations of merit. The piece on Vector Solutions looks at how technology is changing the way workplace professionals in public safety and other industries receive training.

The behind-the-scenes look shows how Vector Solutions is working to change the world through revolutionary training solutions that save lives, inspire professionals, and elevate performance.

“We have the privilege of serving heroes of society every day,” Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gordon says during the seven-minute, 30-second video. “It’s not just a job, it’s a passion for us.”

Vector Solutions now offers more than 5,000 courses, many of which can be used for continuing education and regulatory requirements. The video highlights how the web-based training management software company sets the standard for excellence in training for a broad range of industries, including architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors, as well as industrial, facilities management, public safety, and information technology fields.

During the video, Fire Chief Dave Downey of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department describes how his agency utilizes TargetSolutions, the industry’s leading provider of online fire department training, to streamline fire and EMS training compliance.

“The training is quality. It’s a much more efficient way of delivering the training to our personnel,” Downey said. He goes on to say that eLearning “allows us to implement it [training] in a more timely fashion where we can deliver it to all our members virtually at the same time…To implement anything took 6 to 8 months to be able to deliver instructor-led training.”

Today’s increasingly young and mobile workforce is demanding more innovative and engaging eLearning content. Vector Solutions is working to address these concerns by consistently innovating new features that provide dynamic training experiences. Vector Solutions has a laser focus on the future of computer-based training.

“Training won’t just be a box you check. It will be triggered by metrics that identify a need.”

Vicki Zambito, Senior VP of Product, Content and Communications for Vector Solutions

Over the last five years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 6 million crashes were the result of distracted driving.

That number translates to an annual price tag of more than $160 billion in total damages, according to a federal study that attributed $40 billion in economic costs and another $120 billion in societal harm.

As staggering as those numbers are, they don’t even include changes in weather or large vehicle considerations. Given all these variables, there’s a tremendous amount to look out for on the roadways at any given time. That’s why TargetSolutions has made important updates to a bundle of courses in the Motor Vehicle Safety training catalog. These updates aim to educate drivers, help personnel employ safer driving practices, and reduce overall liability.

Several courses in the fleet series have received their own custom enhancements, including a selection of stunning 3D simulations, updated interactions and content, voiceover narration, and a restyled look. Here are the four courses that have been updated:

• Distracted Driving for Emergency Vehicle Operators
• Safe Backing for Large Vehicle Drivers (3D simulation)
• Distracted Driving
• Adjusting to Changing Conditions (3D simulation)

For more information about TargetSolutions’ online training catalog, please contact TargetSolutions today at (800) 840-8048.