Case Studies
Case Study 1: Expanding the Fire Fighting Mission
Client Profile: A Department of Defense client with bases worldwide.
Client Challenge: This client has bases around the world that encompass considerable acreage. The land is vulnerable to wildland fires, which endanger not only natural resources and habitat, but also could destroy buildings and other structures along the wildland-urban interface. Fighting wildland fires requires specific skills and knowledge; and trained personnel may not always be available from the surrounding communities to aid in an emergency. In addition, opening restricted areas to outside personnel could pose security issues. To address this problem, the client sought to train its structural firefighters to fight wildland fires.
techniques.org Solution: This client was aware of techniques.org’s strong background in the fire fighting arena. We have delivered numerous fire fighting training courses across all formats: web-based, blended learning, video, textbook, computer-based, and instructor led.
For this client, we created a multimedia course that made full use of our experience and proven adult learning theory, including:
- Written didactic material supported by full-motion video, still frames, detailed graphics, and animations, allowing for realistic scenarios and maximum user interactivity
- A range of methods to access the training content and to control the overall presentation as dictated by SCORM 2004 standards
- Embedded questions and exercises to allow users to assess their understanding of the course content
Because firefighters usually are relatively young and often favor a visual learning style, we created a media-rich course that was lively and engaging. We included an interactive Knowledge 9-1-1 game, and this game format further enhanced learner retention.
After successfully completing the Wildland Fire Fighter I course and all of the required performance tests, learners are eligible to become DoD certified at the Wildland Fire Fighter I level. As a result of this course, many of the existing structural firefighters are now effectively trained to also perform as wildland fire fighters.
