5 Reasons Your Fire Department Should Implement Online Learning

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Online learning
is now a more widely adopted training method that has become instrumental for a variety of industries. Fire departments around the world have been discovering how valuable it can be for training management and helping firefighters stay current with the latest issues, compliance requirements and safety measures.

Here are five of the best reasons to incorporate online learning in your fire department training.

Top 5 Benefits of Online Learning for Your Fire Department

  1. Lower the Cost of Training

One of the top benefits of fire department online training is that it's extremely economical. Because online course material can be accessed from anywhere, there's no need to bring firefighters to a classroom for refresher training. Online training can also help agencies save when performing drill-yard exercises. By assigning online pre-course material prior to on-site training, firefighters are better prepared for hands-on sessions as trainees can learn some of the material on their own - allowing them to maximize live training time.

Find out how much you can save with our online training ROI calculator.

  1. Easier Tracking

Another advantage of an online learning platform is that it's simple to track training. Whether firefighters are doing pre-course work online, taking part in inter-agency training or taking courses for recertification, online training with a learning management system (LMS) makes it easy to track hours and document everything. For fire departments with a large amount of personnel, it can be difficult and labor intensive to accurately track hours and access these records for reporting. Digital tracking makes this process much faster and simpler.

  1. Ability to Keep Training Current

In order to maximize safety and do their job properly, firefighters need to be current with the very latest information and regulations. It's much faster to update online training and deliver new procedures before live training sessions than it is to rely on training officers to relay that information alone. This ensures that firefighters are able to stay informed about the latest developments and be able to go back and refer to compliance requirements as needed. Online training can also be easily targeted to specific cities and communities. For example, if a particular region is facing a crisis involving wildfires, critical online refresher training can be quickly delivered to firefighters in this area.

  1. Training is More Accessible

Aside from the cost, it's often inconvenient to plan live training sessions. You need to coordinate a schedule that works for firefighters, the instructor and stations to be on call while personnel are out-of-service. In many cases, not everyone is able to attend. Online courses help resolve this problem because firefighters can access the material at their own convenience and from any device with internet access. With today's technology, people own a variety of devices such as iPads, Android-powered tablets, Kindles, Windows laptops and many others. Firefighters can log into the system from any of these devices, from any location and whenever it's convenient for them.

  1. Improve Compliance and Reduce Liability

It's crucial for fire departments to conform to compliance requirements and reduce liability. Fire department online training makes it easier for administrators to monitor progress and credentials. This is important if your records are ever subpoenaed or if you are ever audited or the target of a lawsuit. With online training, you have accurate and centralized documentation so it's easier to stay compliant and show proof of this when necessary.

TargetSolutions offers the ultimate tools for fire department training. To find out how you can take advantage of the most advanced online training for firefighters, request a Free Demo here.

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