Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
In previous years, the majority of training was administered by the company officers due to the numerous
tasks that fall on the limited staffing of the Training and Safety Division. Beginning in January 2021, asa result
of feedback received during interviews with department membership, quarterly training objectives are being
issued with specific and more detailed descriptions of the tasks to be accomplished. The process is also being
assisted by the Assistant Fire Chief to ensure that these objectives meet the level desired; however, as
Nashua Fire Rescue is extremely lean administratively this is most likely a short-term solution to the issue.
Nashua should evaluate the impact to training and communication within the department as a result of its
current administrative staffing model.
Currently, the Training and Safety Division does not have an assigned budget. This poses a problem for the
addition and delivery of outside training programs that could assist in the development of both firefighters
and officers as a whole. ESCI encourages the integration of outside instructors into the Nashua Fire Rescue
Training Program as it diversifies the perspectives of the firefighters and brings new ideas into the
organization.
The Nashua Fire Rescue Training Program was repeatedly identified by members of the Department as a
significant weakness. The addition of a fourth position within the Division would streamline the delivery of
fire and rescue training as well as the administration of EMS continuing education and the quality control of
the New Hampshire‘s required Trauma and EMS Information System (TEMSIS) reports.
In addition to adding a full-time instructor to the Training and Safety Division, the addition of an online
learning platform such as Target Solutions would allow for more efficiency and better tracking for training
purposes.
Currently, the New Hampshire Fire Academy has online platform called NHOODLE, which provides a variety
of fire and EMS training. With the addition of an online platform, the members of the Training and Safety
Division could deliver training skills sheets and documents that would allow for the optimization of hands-on
training hours. The addition of an online training platform may also alleviate the problem of taking
companies out of service for training while ensuring a robust emergency response capability. This will also
allow for members of the Division to be present for more training evolutions.
Instructors and Instructor Requirements
Nashua Fire Rescue currently uses internal staff for the development and delivery of training. The members
of the Training and Safety Division meet the requirements of NFPA 1041: Standard for Fire and Emergency
Services Instructor Professional Qualifications. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, members
of the department may apply for a position within the Training and Safety Division; however, they are not
required to have either a fire instructor or safety officer certification at the time of appointment.
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