PRIDE | HONOR | TRADITION
CLAYMONT FIRE COMPANY
PROBATIONARY GUIDEBOOK
The Claymont Fire Company Probationary Guidebook is one of the many assets that our probationary firefighters have. The book guides probationary firefighters through their post-fire academy expectations and is designed around realistic expectations and visuals. The uniform format includes maps of our local, apparatus diagrams, apparatus assignment questions, interactive visuals, as well as hands-on instructions to ensure confidence.
OVERVIEW
Each probationary member received a guidebook to complete within their probationary year, and is expected to be completed and signed off by the time they are voted on as an active member.
These guidebooks stay in the station and are all uniform in design/format.
Our department ensures probationary members are dedicated to understanding our jurisdiction. On a box alarm, our crews cover over 75 square miles and a wide array of building types, universities, medical centers, research centers, mid/high-rises and commercial buildings. Additionally, our local is split up into developments that share similar building construction attributes.
INTERACTIVE FEATURES
Our development teams main goal was to develop a book that was interactive. The team limited long-form writing and replaced it with graphics, diagrams, and imagery where applicable.
- The image to the left is a depiction of a 'side charlie report' where members must give incident command vital information from the rear of the structure.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOOK
In late 2023, Captain Cripps and Senior FF/EMT Irhin discussed upgrading the previous probationary book after gathering feedback from new members who had completed the previous version. After considering the options of completely restarting the book or editing the previous version, the decision was made to completely restart while taking inspiration from the previous version.
Starting the New Guidebook
This book was initiated by placing the previous book and new book side-by-side on Google Docs. The initial task was to determine how the book would be organized and develop chapter names. Then, the book was split into each chapter with tasks that need to be completed for each chapter.
Developing Interactive Parts
Once the framework of the guidebook was established, photoshop and AutoCAD were utilized to develop the interactive portions. Emphasis was placed on using imagery from our local, especially utilizing resources such as Zillow, Google Images, and of course going out on the engine to obtain images.
Establishing Chapters
The development of the guidebook as made much easier by splitting it into chapters, defining each section and what is to be included. Below are the chapters of the guidebook:
REFERENCES
After over 200 requests via social media and our website, we have decided to include 6 pages that can be used for those who are looking to develop their own probationary guidebooks. If you have any further questions, please email nirhin@claymont13.com
