Company Drill Ideas for Fire Departments

Drills Don't Have to Be Complicated

The best drills are the ones that actually happen. A 30-minute focused drill beats a 4-hour evolution that takes three weeks to schedule and half the shift calls in sick for. The key is variety, consistency, and relevance. Here are 20+ drill ideas organized by company function, with realistic time frames and equipment lists.

Engine Company Drills

1. Forward Lay and Attack (45 min)

Lay supply from a hydrant to the scene, pull an attack line, and make entry. Time it. Equipment: engine, 200'+ supply line, attack line, hydrant wrench, SCBA.

2. Reverse Lay (30 min)

Arrive on scene, drop the attack line and a firefighter, and reverse lay to the hydrant. Drill the engineer on hookup and pump operations. Equipment: engine, supply line, attack line.

3. Stretch and Advance (30 min)

Pull a pre-connected line, stretch to a target (second floor, around a corner, down a hallway), and flow water. Focus on hose management, door control, and nozzle technique. Equipment: attack line, SCBA.

4. Pump Panel Operations (30 min)

Engineer drills on discharge calculations, friction loss, relay operations, and multi-line scenarios at the pump panel. No one else needs to be involved. Equipment: engine, paper and pen for calculations.

5. Tanker Shuttle Operations (60-90 min)

Set up a complete water shuttle with fill site, portable tanks, and attack engine drafting. Measure sustained GPM. Equipment: tanker(s), portable tanks, hard suction, engine.

Truck Company Drills

6. Ground Ladder Throws (30 min)

Two-person carries and raises: 24' extension to a second-floor window, 14' roof ladder to the peak, 35' extension to a third floor. Time each evolution. Equipment: ground ladders.

7. Forcible Entry Prop (30 min)

Work the forcible entry door prop with conventional and through-the-lock techniques. Rotate every member through. Equipment: halligan, flathead axe, door prop (or donated door in a frame).

8. Search and Rescue, Blacked Out (45 min)

SCBA with blacked-out masks, oriented search in a smoke-filled room (use a training maze or rearranged furniture in quarters). Include a down firefighter rescue. Equipment: SCBA, search rope, blacked-out masks or wax paper.

9. Roof Ventilation Simulation (45 min)

Practice roof access, sounding, and simulated cutting on a flat roof (use the station roof or a training prop). Include inspection cuts. Equipment: ladders, axe, saw (cold saw or simulated).

10. RIT Activation (60 min)

Full RIT drill: locate a downed firefighter by PASS alarm, package them, and remove them. Include air management and mayday communication. Equipment: full PPE, SCBA, RIT pack, stokes basket or drag device.

EMS Drills

11. Cardiac Arrest Management (30 min)

Two-rescuer CPR with AED, transition to ALS. Focus on pit crew model, high-performance CPR metrics, and minimizing interruptions. Equipment: manikin, AED trainer, monitor/defib trainer.

12. Trauma Assessment (30 min)

Primary and secondary survey on a simulated trauma patient. Include c-spine, bleeding control, and rapid transport decision. Equipment: manikin or willing volunteer, trauma supplies.

13. Airway Management Stations (45 min)

BVM ventilation, OPA/NPA placement, supraglottic airway insertion, and (if ALS) intubation. Rotate through stations. Equipment: airway manikin, airway adjuncts.

14. Medication Math (20 min)

For ALS crews: drug dosage calculations, drip rates, weight-based dosing, and pediatric calculations. Paper and pen, no calculators. Equipment: drug reference cards, paper.

15. MCI Triage (45 min)

Set up a multi-casualty scenario with 8–12 simulated patients. Practice START triage, tagging, and resource requests. Equipment: triage tags, scenario cards, volunteer patients.

Officer Development Drills

16. Tabletop Scenario (30 min)

Print a photo of a structure (or use a size-up training tool). Officer gives initial radio report, assigns incoming units, and manages the first 10 minutes. No gear required. Equipment: scenario photo, radio (optional).

17. Decision-Making Under Pressure (30 min)

Read a NIOSH LODD report as a crew and discuss: What went wrong? What decisions would you make differently? This builds critical thinking without any equipment. Equipment: printed LODD report.

18. CAN Report Practice (20 min)

Set up scenarios and have each crew member deliver a CAN report for their area. Critique for clarity, completeness, and brevity. Equipment: radios or face-to-face.

19. Pre-Plan Walkthrough (45-60 min)

Visit a target hazard in your first-due. Walk through it, note construction, hydrant locations, access points, and hazards. Build or update the pre-plan. Equipment: clipboard, camera, pre-plan form.

20. After-Action Review (20 min)

After any working incident, debrief as a crew: what went well, what didn't, what would we change? No rank in the room, honest feedback only. Equipment: none.

Bonus: Quick-Hit Drills (Under 15 min)

• SCBA confidence drill: Don, go on air, and perform a simple task (tie a knot, read a gauge, find an object) with blacked-out mask. 10 min.
• Knot tying: Bowline, clove hitch, figure-eight follow-through. Timed, on air. 10 min.
• Tool inventory: Locate and identify every tool on the rig. New members especially. 10 min.
• Hydrant familiarization: Drive your first-due and locate every hydrant. Note flow capacity and access issues. 15 min.

The point of drilling is building reps. Don't overcomplicate it. Pick something, do it, debrief it, and move on to the next one. Consistency beats complexity every time.