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Q & A with Chris from New England Fire Training

Q & A with Chris from New England Fire Training

What type of training does New England Fire Training offer?

NEFT offers primarily interior firefighting skills training. Anything from SCBA introduction and confidence to search & amp; rescue to firefighter rescue and attack hose movement. Forcible entry is a component of every class we run as well.

What got you into training?

I started teaching at the fire academy a long time ago and I put that on hold to start a family. While on this break I started developing my own training props and training theories that lead me to start New England Fire Academy.

Is there an area of training that you feel people aren't focused on right now but they should be?

One of the reasons I started developing props and training techniques was because I saw a lack of training in the basic concepts of interior firefighting, as well as a lack of training the mindset that goes along with aggressive interior firefighting. Everyone wants the new technique or a different way of doing things - and that’s all fine and good - but we need to pick a skill or two and make it a part of us before we move on to something else.

What drives you to offer the best training possible?

We are driven to offer quality training and proper mindset coaching in the best interior training prop because, quite frankly, we want you to save lives. Saving lives is why you are in this business and continue to train. We want to support those who want to save lives.

What sets you apart from others that offer training?

What sets us apart from other training companies is twofold. First we have the best and most adaptable training prop on the market. What this means is we are not dependent on the pedigree of instructors. We can come and set our props up and you will have an amazing training experience regardless of the instructor. Secondly, and because of our props, we pride ourselves on ego free training. It’s not about us! It’s about training you to save lives, and using the Hogwall to do it! We are not the end-all, be-all as far as instructors go. In fact, we often instruct or facilitate groups that are more senior and experienced than we are. We often feel we learn more than we teach! Our ego-free approach is very welcomed in an industry where who we are or where we work often overshadows what we bring to the table. This approach also allows us the freedom to work with other training companies. When the mission is to save lives, then ego should be left out of it. We have partnered with or are in talks with other independent training companies up and down the eastern seacoast from Maine to Florida. If you want to work with us to assist firefighters to save lives through training, then we want to work with you!

What is the Hogwall and how did you develop it?

The Hogwall training system is a proprietary, interlocking wall system that is easily moved and adapted to the needs of the training. It is lightweight and can be built in countless configurations, from SCBA confidence mazes to house and building floor plans. Our proprietary forcible entry doors are built to exact specifications to fit anywhere in the Hogwall system. We bring the Hogwall training prop directly to the department and set up in the firehouse bay. This allows firefighters to stay in service to respond to calls, instead of leaving the community to train. What began as a drawing on a napkin evolved to working scale models and prototypes. Initially, we just wanted to build and sell the training props, however, it evolved into a direct to consumer training company.

How far do you travel to do training?

We will travel anywhere to train! If you want to train with us, we will travel. We are trying to expand out of New England and are looking for training partners all over North America interested in starting their own training company using our platform.

 

New England Fire Training
Chris Grover
603-860-5679
nefiretraining@gmail.com
newenglandfiretraining.com

Instagram - @newenglandfiretraining, @neftgrover, @neftbrentwood

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