FAAC News

  An increasing number of law enforcement agencies are engaging in increasingly lively discussions around use-of-force training. These are extremely important conversations—often difficult, always complex. Part of the challenge is that use-of-force training is a hot-button topic. But a good deal of complexity arises from the simple fact that it’s hard to have a national … Continued

  In a recent post on EMS World, Rommie L. Duckworth, LP reminded EMT instructors that “telling isn’t teaching … for students to be able to perform as emergency medical providers, they must be able to make their own connections with the course material.” This requires a student-centered approach. Ambulance simulators and EMS simulation, in … Continued

  As a practical matter, use-of-force training and situational awareness training must go hand in hand. We regularly ask officers to quickly assess a chaotic situation and then apply only the “amount of effort required … to compel compliance by an unwilling subject” (according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police). That’s not just … Continued

  Firefighters are expecting 2021 to be a record-breaking year for building and wildfires. But fire teams are shorthanded and overworked nationwide. This isn’t just about the increasing length and intensity of the wildfire season—nor is it about COVID. Both play a role, but it’s one of intensifying an existing problem: We are an aging … Continued

  Investing in simulation training technology is serious business. For many agencies, this is a “once-in-a-lifetime” purchase—especially if stakeholders cannot easily see a clear return on the investment.  A poor start can leave a training program floundering for years. Asking these three questions before you begin weighing your options is an important step in building … Continued

  We already know that simulator training is excellent for introducing novice operators to large commercial and transit vehicles. But is every driving simulator equally suited to training basic skills? In 2010 researchers took a detailed look at the training of 100 large vehicle operators. (This work was ultimately published in 2011 in the journal … Continued

  Advances in simulator training technology have made it possible to overcome the roadblocks that regularly prevent adults from truly mastering new and complex skills. In 1980 Stuart and Hubert Dreyfus—working at the University of California, Berkeley and supported by the U.S. Air Force—formulated the “Dreyfus Model” of Adult Skills Acquisition. They sought to analyze … Continued

  It’s amazing how much traction “de-escalation” training has received lately. Unfortunately, modern policing is too focused on what we do “at the scene” in dealing with a critical incident.   We all know that true “de-escalation” starts way before we arrive on the scene. “De-escalation” for police must begin in the locker room, as … Continued

  FAAC’s fire truck driver training simulator supports simple-to-complex, individual and team training. The levels of this platform’s-based training are increasingly diverse and challenging, and broadly range from basic driving skills, through emergency response scenarios and then up to a higher level of emergency response scenarios occurring with critical incidents and taking place “on the … Continued

  Public transport simulation technology isn’t a solution by itself—it’s a tool for extending and supercharging your entire training program. But like any powerful, complex (and expensive!) tool, an organization cannot get the most out of it if no one takes “ownership” of that tool. Billy Cameron has spent his career in transit. Over the … Continued