Learning and Development
Learning and development is a fundamental requirement for our Service. All our staff are trained to the highest professional standards to equip them with the necessary competencies and skills for the variety of roles within our organisation, many of which are critical to their own safety and the safety of others.
Service Development Centre
Our Training Centre is based at the Service Development Centre (SDC) in Ollerton. Here, a team of staff is responsible for delivering high quality and structured training to all NFRS colleagues.
They provide a full programme of operational training ranging from the initial training for all new firefighters, through to refresher training in personal and team safety critical systems of work, including specialist rescue and incident command.
They also run courses to develop skills in areas such as management and leadership techniques, equality and diversity, time, stress and conflict management for firefighters and support staff.
A peripatetic team goes out from SDC to deliver skills training at locations across the county. They act as development consultants who help to embed training and learning in the workplace.
All our courses meet the relevant National Occupational Standards and they are fully-accredited with the relevant external professional and training organisations, such as the Institute of Leadership Management and EDEXCEL. All have robust learning outcomes to make sure that our staff are trained efficiently, comprehensively and effectively.
Our facilities
We are fortunate to have a wide range of high quality training facilities available at SDC. Each training room has been upgraded with new audio visual equipment for multi-media presentations and includes interactive smart displays, big screen projection and broadband access.
Our fire training building has three floors and underground sewers. It can be filled with hot smoke and fire, allowing firefighters to train in realistic scenarios in excess of 200 degrees centigrade. They need to wear breathing apparatus and follow a complex range of procedures to work in these hostile conditions, and all operational staff attend a hot fire exercise once a year.
Service Driving School
Our trainers are Advanced Driving Instructors with extensive experience of all our vehicles, ranging from fork lifts to Aerial Ladder Platforms. They help colleagues to develop a range of skills, from HGV licence through to ‘blue light’ driving. Several of our courses are accredited by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
