Fire Instructor II cheat sheet

Training program management covers needs analysis, curriculum design, delivery, evaluation, records, instructor qualifications, and budget control; the program manager is accountable for the whole cycle.

The annual training plan commonly defines target audiences, course calendar, required hours, resource requirements, evaluation methods, and completion standards for the fiscal year.

Policy hierarchy: law and adopted standards set minimums; agency policy implements them; program procedures and lesson plans must be consistent with both.

Instructor authorization is course-specific; an instructor qualified in one topic is not automatically authorized to teach another.

Live-fire and high-hazard training require a designated safety officer and instructor in charge, plus documentation of the safety plan and participant accounting.

Instructor cost = paid hours × hourly rate × number of instructors; include preparation, delivery, and evaluation time in paid hours.

Course cancellation decision rule: cancel or reschedule when minimum supervision, safety resources, apparatus, water supply, or qualified instructors are not available.

A training program audit checks course approvals, instructor files, attendance, evaluations, safety records, and budget reconciliation against policy.

Records retention is set by legal, accreditation, and agency requirements, not by instructor preference; the schedule identifies each record type and destruction date.

ADDIE phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation; evaluation data feed back into any earlier phase.

A measurable objective contains performance, condition, and criterion; example: extinguish a pan fire using an extinguisher within 30 seconds.

Bloom's revised cognitive levels: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create; verbs must match the required level.

Psychomotor progression: imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation, naturalization.

Affective progression: receiving, responding, valuing, organization, characterization.

Lesson plan minimum components: course title, terminal objective, enabling objectives, references, materials, time allocation, content outline, application, evaluation, and safety notes.

A curriculum map aligns each job performance requirement to a lesson, practice method, assessment item, and required level of competence.

Four-step method: preparation, presentation, application, evaluation; application must precede certification of a skill.

Cognitive load rule: segment complex procedures and remove nonessential detail from initial instruction; add realistic distractions only after foundational accuracy.

Needs analysis levels: organizational (goals and resources), task (JPRs and standards), and person (individual knowledge, skills, abilities).

Gap = desired performance − current performance; causes are classified as knowledge/skill deficits or environmental/motivational barriers.

Training is the appropriate intervention only when the gap is caused by lack of knowledge or skill; equipment, policy, feedback, or incentive gaps need non-training solutions.

Kirkpatrick levels: 1 reaction, 2 learning, 3 behavior, 4 results; each level uses different data and does not automatically predict the next.

Formative evaluation occurs during development or delivery; summative evaluation judges overall merit after implementation.

Reliability is consistency; validity is whether the evaluation measures the intended knowledge or performance.

ROI (%) = ((total benefits − total costs) / total costs) × 100.

Training priority score can combine frequency × severity × probability of exposure; higher scores indicate higher training priority.

Evaluation design: post-test only is weak; pre/post without control is better; pre/post with control or time series is stronger for causal claims.

Instructor II supervises other instructors, evaluates delivery, mentors, and ensures course consistency; direct delivery remains part of the role.

Supervision cycle: pre-observation conference, observation, evidence-based feedback, improvement plan, follow-up observation.

Feedback rule: describe observable behavior, its effect, and the desired replacement behavior; avoid personality labels.

Questioning sequence: ask, pause, call by name, listen, respond; avoid answering your own question before the pause.

Adult learning principles: relevance, experience, self-direction, problem-centered focus, and immediate application.

Instructor evaluation instrument should use behaviorally anchored ratings and separate safety violations from instructional weaknesses.

Substantive lesson-plan deviations require approval and documentation; emergency safety deviations are documented afterward.

Classroom control decision rule: stop delivery to address a safety, harassment, or repeated disruption issue; document the action.

Instructor-to-student ratios are set by AHJ policy, standards, and evolution risk; lower ratios are required for live fire and high-hazard skills.

Criterion-referenced assessment compares performance to a fixed standard; norm-referenced assessment ranks learners against each other.

Content validity evidence comes from a test blueprint that maps items to objectives and JPRs; construct validity concerns the underlying trait.

Item difficulty p = number correct / number tested; discrimination D = p(upper group) − p(lower group).

A positive D indicates the item favors high performers; D near zero indicates little discrimination; negative D flags a possible flawed item.

Inter-rater reliability improves with rubrics, evaluator training, calibration, and multiple raters.

Performance checklists mark critical items as pass/fail; a critical failure is not offset by high scores elsewhere.

Cut score setting methods include Angoff, modified Angoff, contrasting groups, and border-line group; the method must be documented.

Test blueprint weight for an objective = (objective importance × hours taught) / total weighted hours; adjust for critical safety items.

Accommodations change access, not the performance standard, unless the standard itself is invalid for the job.

A complete training record identifies course, date, location, instructor, participants, objectives, attendance, evaluation results, and authorization.

Corrections to paper records use a single line through the error, initial, date, and correct entry; do not erase or use correction fluid.

Electronic records require access controls, audit trails, backup, and a retention schedule that matches paper records.

Confidential student information is shared only with authorized personnel; release follows agency policy and applicable law.

Live-fire records include safety plan, roster, PPE and SCBA checks, fuel type and quantity, weather, water supply, briefings, and after-action review.

Certification expiration tracking uses a tickler system with lead time for recertification; expired qualifications remove authorization to teach or perform.

Records audit compares scheduled courses, attendance, evaluations, instructor files, and certifications for completeness and consistency.

Documentation is contemporaneous: entries made at or near the event are more credible than later reconstructions.

Retention periods vary by record type; legal counsel or the records officer sets the schedule, and destruction is documented.

Direct costs are traceable to a course (instructor pay, fuel, consumables); indirect costs are shared overhead (facilities, administration).

Fixed costs do not vary with class size; variable costs rise per student or per delivery.

Cost per student = total course cost / number of completions; cost per contact hour = total course cost / (students × contact hours).

Budget variance = actual − budgeted; identify whether the variance is price, quantity, or mix before taking corrective action.

ROI (%) = ((total benefits − total costs) / total costs) × 100.

Life-cycle cost includes acquisition, operation, maintenance, training, and disposal; compare alternatives over the same service life.

Grant funds are restricted to eligible costs and require matching, procurement, reporting, and records retention according to the award terms.

Inventory control uses unique asset tags, issue/return logs, scheduled inspections, and replacement thresholds.

Resource request justification links the need to a JPR gap, risk reduction, compliance requirement, or cost avoidance.

Risk management cycle: identify hazards, assess probability and severity, select controls, implement, and monitor for residual risk.

Hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE; PPE is the last line of defense.

Risk score = probability × severity; the matrix assigns priority and required approval level.

Live-fire training requires an instructor in charge, safety officer, emergency plan, water supply, backup line, communications, accountability, and rehab.

Any participant or instructor can stop an evolution for unsafe conditions; the stop authority is stated in the safety briefing.

Atmospheric monitoring is required before entry into confined spaces or suspect atmospheres; results are recorded and compared with exposure limits.

Rehab triggers include sustained work, heat, PPE use, and symptom reports; rehab includes rest, hydration, cooling, and medical evaluation.

Training site inspection checks access, egress, utilities, terrain, overhead hazards, apparatus placement, and emergency vehicle access.

Near-miss and injury reports are reviewed to revise hazard controls, lesson plans, and instructor assignments.