Developing Firefighter Resiliency

Training ordinary people to do extraordinary things requires an understanding of how we learn. Developing Firefighter Resiliency starts with the basic psychophysical aspects of learning.

Three Key Messages–

• This is important.
• You can do it.
• I won't give up on you.

The fire service has unwittingly used a failure-based training model for many years. Hands-on training exercises are often based on unachievable objectives. Trainers are often not educated about the psychology of adult learning or the effect of stress during learning.

Consequently, participants face learning activities with mastery-level skill requirement to succeed when competency has yet to be established. This amounts to a never-ending diet of tests without actual skill development. Accessing knowledge under extreme circumstances cannot be left to chance, because the penalty for failure is severe.

This book provides the roadmap for a journey to train, establish relevancy for the lessons, develop competency in the skills, and capitalize on confidence to achieve mastery. We study the impact of a stressful environment on the ability to learn and function.

by Bob Carpenter, Dave Gillespie, & Ric Jorge

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part 1: Adversity of Fire
• The Finer Points of Character
• The Anatomy of Fear
• Part 2: The Success-Based Training Model
• The Basics of Adult Learning
• The Four Ps to Success: Plan, Prepare, Present, and Post
• The Safety Plan: Not Just Another Form
• Part 3: Resiliency
• Mental Tactics of High Performance
• Building Mental Toughness
• The Power of Self-Talk
• Part 4: Developing Resiliency through Physiological Tactics
• Breathing and Mindfulness
• The Body and Physiological Needs
• Training Smarter
• Index
• About the Authors

Firefighters Bookstore Item # 4101