Time from Trainee through to Competent?

[Nebo123]

From reading other posts I know different services have different time lines for this, but is there an average time it takes to become competent for a wholetime firefighter? Would it take longer in a predominately rural service like North Yorkshire for instance? 

[Rory-495]

I'm LFB but quite a quiet station. Bang on 18 months (the minimum time in role)

There's no reason why it's not do able. Just got to do work work work work work work! 

[OscarTango]

Here it's 24 months for everyone, WT and On call. That's not to say there aren't "deferred successes" for some people at at the 12 month, 24 month and BA refreshers, but the goal is everyone to be competent at two years. 

The real stickler is how much everyone remembers of their training. You can be at a busy on call station and learn your job quite well, or do a 14 week recruit course and go to your station brimming with new skills and info, but if after that you do nothing but smoke alarms and standbys for a year then the skill fade sets in pretty fast. 

Competent on paper is one thing, competent meaning being happy to do any aspect of your job regardless of when you last trained it is another. 

Basically I'm a sad b*stard and like drilling!

[Rory-495]

Echoing OscarTango above. As a recruit you should be an Subject matter expert on everything from training. When you get on station you get to learn more stuff. That is what counts. If you have a solid bedrock and live and breath the fire service you will be able to develop and show competence. Display that to your SC, dont make them look for development, record it and show that you are learning everything thrown your way and more!

[Nebo123]

Thanks guys. Lots of food for thought. I was primarily thinking of the jump in money from trainee to competent. It looks like about 18 to 24 months before your on the 'top' wage.

 

[Charlie_]

The more proactive you are with doing your logs and pushing for formal assessments the faster you’ll come off. It’s a minimum of 18 months on station in LFB, I can’t talk for all brigades but I have a friend in wmfs who was proactive and had all their competencies signed off after 1 year on station 

[Noddy]

4 years when I joined 

[Carl]

Me too, spent 2 years doing a probationary workbook and then 2 years completing a qualified workbook. Full day with the DO (GM) on the drill yard and then a professional discussion, signed off and on full pay with a trip to the cakes shop for all. Perhaps I should move this to the Good Old Day

[Luminoki]

5 hours ago, Charlie_ said:

The more proactive you are with doing your logs and pushing for formal assessments the faster you’ll come off. It’s a minimum of 18 months on station in LFB, I can’t talk for all brigades but I have a friend in wmfs who was proactive and had all their competencies signed off after 1 year on station 

Thing is i dont feel you should be pushing for the formal assesments, even more so if your only aim is your competant pay. The focus should be on becoming  a good firefighter and theres no shortcuts to that. Theres been trainees in West Mids that have done this and come a cropper/got a reputation for themselves. Its down to your gaffer when youre ready to get something signed of, i cant imagine Carl or Noddy walking up to their Station Officer and saying “sir i think its about time i get signed off on BA”

[WTTJ]

I agree, however I have only been made 'competent' in the last 6 months and I'm still far from a good firefighter. I'm still the 'probie' and given I'm still less skilled, happily still fulfil this role. It took me 18 months from being on station to pass. 

[Charlie_]

I meant in the instance you feel ready for them as well, there is only x amount of times you can do a hfsv until you feel confident enough to be assessed in it for example 

[Luminoki]

A HFSV is alot different to say a safety critical tac vent assesment ( one of the three practical assesments you undertake in west mids to get signed off in BA, that said i had a safe and well not long ago that turned into something completely unforseen ) especially when you dont really get to play or train with hot fire scenarios once on station. It should be down to your line manager to decide if/when youre ready, after all its an assesment that could kill you

[Rory-495]

This is where I feel, really not trying to have a dig at my own brigade, that LFB falls down.

Our formal assessments are all arbitrary. A SubO/SO can decide if you are competent based off their own criteria and there seems to be no standard from upon high. 

Also, the fact you have a specific tac vent assessment blows my mind. We only have a 2 day standard BA course across the brigade each year with nothing specific for FF development as a recruit. 

However.... from what I've seen and interpreted from our transformation plan, I think we will be moving in the right direction to up our game professionally 

[Charlie_]

I also think a specific BA hot wear assessment wouldn’t go a miss as part of competency in LFB, currently the operational assessments are open for 3 months minimum (and can only be opened for the last 3 months of 18) and is down to your subO/SO to decide whether you’re competent or not 

[Dyson]

@Rory-495 what do you mean ? Say more please ? 

[Rory-495]

Say more on what point?

The transformation plan mentions an increase in Our standards which was explained to me by someone in the training/policy department that LFB want to be doing the best training with the best kit. Heard it before but at least it's written in. Id assume part of this should transfer to how we develop our people especially when on their book

[Dyson]

I’m always interested to hear what others think, it’s good to hear different perspectives. I’ve seen this apprenticeship scheme out in the counties and within LFB.