| PFD has chosen to use the fund to purchase the latest in interactive training software, FLAME-SIM 2009 |
The Plano Fire Department, in Plano, Texas, recently received, from Allianz Life Insurance Compnay of North America (Allianz), a $14,217 Heritage Rewards grant on behalf of field marketing organization (FMO) Lakeside Equity Partners. Plano Fire Department has chosen to use these funds to purchase the latest in interactive training software, FLAME-SIM 2009, to further enhance their already excellent fire training program.
Plano Fire Department (PFD) has been working with the simulation software for the past 12 months in association with the Allen Fire Department, which currently has 10 seats of FLAME-SIM 2009. Plano has already seen beneficial results from working with the software over the past year, but they are excited to increase the frequency and scope of their training sessions with the software at their constant disposal. This availability will allow the PFD firefighters and officers to actively train on communications, fire ground operations, and incident command tactics and strategies, and obtain results similar to those seen by the Allen Fire Department (AFD).
AFD has seen many positive results including less freelancing on the fire ground, improved fire ground communications, and improved firefighter confidence and coordination because of their ability to easily train an entire first alarm response together. With FLAME-SIM, they are able to regularly train all seven of their first alarm company officers and repeatedly practice the proper execution of a coordinated fire attack. AFD has also noticed after using FLAME-SIM, Company Officers are using tactics more in line with Command. Company Officer action's are reviewed and assessed using the 'After Action Report' at the end of each scenario. This allows the Chief to correct actions taken by officers that are not in line with their established Incident Command procedures.
There are numerous other advantages to this dynamic fire training program, and PFD is excited to get this interactive simulation software into the hands of all their personnel in order to utilize all of FLAME-SIM's unique features, and to get these extraordinary results.