Don't Just Say "Yes" to Training - Actively Approve It

by Meredith Shelton
Business Manager
City of Fitchburg Fire Department

Orginially Published in Wisconsin Fire Chief Magazine - Volume 5, Issue 4

I recently assumed the job of updating an existing training policy, titled the Training Reimbursement policy, because:  

• It only covered Wisconsin State Certification courses;
• Direct payment of expenses is preferred over reimbursement; and
• It didn’t provide a process for how to get reimbursed when necessary.

There was one other pressing reason behind my self-assigned mission: The need to establish a standardized approval process for members interested in attending a training opportunity; but not just any training opportunity.

Drills and other training events hosted by the Department are givens, as are one-day presentations by national speakers, hosted by regional fire service associations. The training opportunities I was thinking of were all the regional and national events held throughout the year. This includes training opportunities that aren’t marketed directly to the fire service, but can benefit firefighters in many ways including communication, team-building, and computer skills.

If your department doesn’t already have a training approval process in place, you might wonder why you would need one. A few reasons why it’s a good idea:

• Standardized Process – Every member of the Department has the same process to follow and is subject to the same approval guidelines;
• Written Expectations – Putting any process in writing reduces interpretation and provides a place for members to get consistent answers;
• Budget Control – An established process can help management stay within its training budget by knowing all the associated expenses up front; and
• Mentoring – Sworn officers and veteran members can help coach their younger brothers and sisters through the process of making strong training choices.

So, let’s get back to establishing an approval process. The first step was to conduct an internet search. I tried a few different searches with variations of ‘training approval policy.’ Of all the hits that came back, a few kept floating to the top and each of them had a form that could be downloaded. You can probably guess the next step is to start downloading these forms.

After reviewing each form I identified five key aspects:

• Disclaimer/Instructions – Short explanation about completing the form, and any rules or special conditions that might apply (i.e. restrictions based on a dollar limit);
• Basic Information – Basics about the person submitting the request and about the training (i.e. title, location, dates, and associated costs);
• Justification – Description of the class or event, benefit to the requestor, benefit to the Department, how the requestor will bring material back to the Department;
• Department Approval – Where the appropriate person to approve or deny the request;
• Summary/Evaluation of Training –Attendee provides feedback on the training, including whether or not it would be beneficial for other members to attend. The person who originally approved the request also evaluates how well the attendee followed through on bringing the material back to the Department.

Once I determined what needed to be on the request form, creating the form itself was simple (hint: it involved duplicating what I saw in all those forms I downloaded). And then it was time to go back to the written policy, which needed to cover a few topics:

• General Overview – Basic information about the policy, including an objective and definitions;
• Instructions – An explanation of the approval request form, including any rules or restrictions;
• Registration Process – The process for getting registered for a course and getting expenses covered, including the process for getting reimbursed if necessary (there will be times when this is unavoidable, so have a process in place);
• Approval Guidelines/Rationale – The guidelines the Department will use when deciding whether or not to approve a request.

Beyond these general topics, a few department-specific items can also be included. For example, information about frequently attended courses such as Wisconsin State Certification courses. Including this information will make the policy longer, but it will also save a lot of repeat questions from members.

After the draft version of the policy has been approved by the Chief and/or Officer Corps, it’s always a good idea to give the members a chance to review it and provide their feedback. After all, they’re the ones who are going to be impacted the most by this policy. When the members are included in the creation and approval of a new policy, they will be more comfortable following it and coaching others on it.