Training Officers Workshop
Ontario Fire College
September 29 – October 1, 2014
September 29 – Keynote Speaker Gerald (Jerry) Tracy
Battalion Commander FDNY (ret.)
Chief Tracy will start his presentation on ‘The Training Officer’ with emphasis on the following
topics;
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Training officers are a distinctive breed within the fire service.
The Challenge.
Training – What is mandated, what is needed?
Trainees, how to get their attention.
Preparing training programs.
Mentorship programs.
How to measure success of training.
In addition, TFS District Chief Fred McKay will be in attendance with Chief Tracy as they will
then review strategy and tactics of several recent Canadian fires and their resulting important
‘lessons learned’ for the fire service.
September 29th - Evening Session
The Annual Banquet Dinner will be immediately followed by the OAFTO Annual General
Meeting, Executive Elections and a special presentation to Doug Outtrim, OFC Instructor (ret.)
September 30 – Presentations followed by Resource Reviews
Ted Wieclawek, Fire Marshal, OFMEM
Guy Degagne, Acting Principal, Ontario Fire College
Stephen Hernen, 1st Vice President, OAFC
Andy Kostiuk and members of the Section 21 Committee
The day’s full slate of presentations will be followed by a review of current available training
resources by both Diane Legg and Sophie Greco of the OFMEM. The day will conclude with an
informal opportunity to talk with several fire service publisher representatives in the OFC library.
October 1 - Choice of Two Full Day Workshops
Training Officer Workshop participants will have the opportunity to select between the following
two full day presentations:
Pick either: Stephen Hammond, Victoria, British Columbia
http://www.stephenhammond.ca/about.html
Dealing with a very important topic in an engaging and entertaining manner, Stephen Hammond
will provide real tools to help our members to create a better work environment, free of the
various weird behaviours some employees of the fire service tend to exhibit at work. The
education will not only include substantive education for fire and male-dominated culture, but
will also include techniques to grab the attention of participants when training is going on. The
goal is to provide the attendees with additional skills to employ when dealing with bullying,
workplace harassment and other inappropriate conduct.
Or pick: Matt Stroud, Seattle, Washington
http://www.mgstech.net/
This is an updated course that was provided nearly two years ago at the OAFTO Hands-on
Skills Training sessions at the Oakville Fire Department Training Campus (May 2013). Entitled
Hybrid/New Vehicle Technology for First Responders, This Train – the – Trainer course will
cover Basic Electrical Theory, Voltage Hazards, Parts Locations, Power Down Procedures,
Fire/Submersion Procedures, SRS Systems, HID Lighting Hazards, Debunking of Technology
Myths and a review of Approach Tactics Suited to ALL Vehicle Incidents.
Biographies and additional information:
Chief Tracy
Chief Tracy, retired Battalion Commander, served 31 years with the FDNY. He developed
numerous training programs for the FDNY for all ranks including Chief Officers. He authored
articles published with FDNY’s training publication WNYF (With New York Firefighters) and Fire
Engineering magazine. Chief Tracy in collaboration with NIST and NYU Polytechnic Institute
spearheaded revolutionary live fire research of Smoke management of HR buildings and Wind
Driven Fires funded by Department of Homeland Security. He is a member of the NFPA Project
Technical Panel reviewing “Firefighting Tactics under Wind Driven Conditions”.
Stephen Hammond
Presentation Outcomes
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To educate training officers about improving workplace behaviours, free of harassment,
bullying, and other inappropriate conduct.
To educate training officers about helping company officers, union leaders and
management understand their legal and municipal responsibilities to prevent and
respond to inappropriate behaviours as they observe them and when it is brought to their
attention. This also includes encouraging employees in a leadership position to get all
employees to ask for assistance when they feel they need it, within a paramilitary
environment where the chain of command is important.
To demonstrate to training officers various training techniques that grab the attention of
participants, ensuring better understanding and retention of the educational message.
The Day’s Proposed Outline
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The Harassment Game – this exercise includes education about harassment, bullying
and discrimination as set out by law and practical realities of your workplaces. Using
auto-responder keypads and using a lightly competitive format, even the most resistant
participant will become engaged (everyone likes to win).
Have You Observed? – the use of the keypads is even more effective in this exercise
because the instructor gets to ask the toughest of questions, yet no one has to raise
their hand to answer. The responses are anonymous and almost always honest,
therefore allowing for discussions about real issues, not just made-up scenarios. Real
discussions follow each question.
The Impact of Mere Words – using a fascinating documentary into people’s difficulty
with speaking up, participants get to realize it’s tough to go against the crowd (even
when the crowd knows it’s wrong). Participants talk about the difficulty for maledominated workplaces and the pressures employees face.
Continuing Education – participants will get access to on-going educational resources
available on-line. When everyone has left at the end of the training day, there are still
resources to help…even when memories fade.
Stephen Hammond’s expertise is about improving workplace behaviours. He’s a professional
speaker delivering training and keynotes speeches, predominantly for workplace leaders,
regarding harassment, bullying, discrimination and the changing face of Canada.
Since 1992 Stephen has rescued organizations from workplace disasters and has strongly
encouraged workplace leaders to change with the times, even if they are perplexed,
overwhelmed and reluctant to act. While Stephen is a lawyer by trade and still a member of the
Law Society of British Columbia, he no longer practices law. He holds a professional
designation with the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS), is a past-Chair of
their National Ethics Committee, and holds the designation of CSP, Certified Speaking
Professional. Stephen's goal is to support welcoming workplaces.
At a relatively young age, Stephen's life experiences shaped his views and passions regarding
rights and other behaviours. Yes, his Bachelor of Arts in political studies from the University of
Manitoba, and his Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School (York University), gave him
a good base. However, his education of “hard knocks” likely came from intense discussions with
his feminist and politician mother Gerrie Hammond, as well as his experience of being arrested
in communist Poland before being thrown out of the country for being a “spy.”
Stephen was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 1988 and proceeded to work in the field of
labour and employee relations both in the private and public sectors.
Matt Stroud
Matt Stroud will conduct a Review of Alternative Fueled Vehicles and cover the following:
Basic Electrical Theory
Voltage Hazards
Parts Locations
Power Down Procedures
Fire/Submersion Procedures
SRS Systems
HID Lighting Hazards
Debunking of Technology Myths
Approach Tactics Suited to ALL Vehicle Incidents
Hands-on Demonstrations
The full day course will include:
Print-outs of PowerPoint Presentation
Access to Instructors Page on www.mgstech.net to develop presentation geared towards own
department needs
On-going support from MGS Tech Instructors
Certificate of Completion
Matt Stroud is a 22 year veteran of Toyota Motor Corporation as a Master Diagnostic
Technician, certified in numerous vehicle technologies, including Hybrid’s. Due to heavy
demand from the fire service, MGS TECH was founded in 2007 with the goal to teach
Firefighters/EMS personnel how to safely manage Hybrid and new technology vehicle
incidents. In addition to his extensive automotive background, Matt has completed
multiple extrication courses, giving him a strong knowledge base of fire tactics &
terminologies.
Courses completed include: Extrication.com 40-hour course (Ron ShawMassachusetts), Big-Rig Extrication Course (Billy Leach-Big Rig Rescue), Advanced
Extrication Course Corona Auto X (LN Curtis & Corona FD), Advanced Extrication
Course (Lee Junkins-Mid South Rescue-Texas), Advanced Incident Commander
Course (Mike Smith-Tacoma College).