Local Firefighters Receive Training In

Rapid Decisionmaking

The Newtown Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company recently sponsored a class for the members of all five local volunteer fire companies on developing rapid decisionmaking skills in firefighting situations.

The session was held October 13 at the Newtown High School lecture hall. About 30 firefighters from the five volunteer fire companies attended.

Instructor Robert Halton presented a comprehensive decisionmaking skills training program based on the latest research in the firefighting field.

Using fire incident scene simulations, case studies, and postincident reviews, Mr Halton demonstrated proven methods to hone rapid decisionmaking skills.

The program is designed for instructors, incident commanders, fire company officers, and firefighters. The course is intended for people responsible for evaluating command skills.

Mr Halton is the editor-in-chief of the magazine Fire Engineering and the education director of the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC).

In New York City, Mr Halton’s family has deep roots in the Fire Department of New York and the New York Police Department. He began his career in structural firefighting with the fire department in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1984. He attained national registry as a paramedic, was the chief of training, and rose to the rank of chief of operations until his retirement from that department in 2004.

Mr Halton then became chief of the fire department in Coppell, Texas, after which he left the organization to become editor-in-chief at Fire Engineering magazine.