Throughout the month of January, members of the West Grove Fire Company are sitting in class nearly every Monday evening taking part in annual training refresher classes. Topics like Hazardous Materials, First Aid & CPR, and reviews of the company’s Standard Operating Procedures are part of kicking off the year with classes that apply to nearly everyone who responds to emergencies.

But behind the January classes is an every bigger story, one that defines the West Grove Fire Company and its membership. It’s about a culture of continuous-learning that distinguishes the organization for its dedication to serving the community. Evidence of this training culture was presented at a recent fire company meeting, when the 2019 Training Report was submitted.

Presented by training committee chairperson Captain Tony Gialloreto (appointed to be an Assistant Chief in 2020), the report outlines a significant accomplishment by the members for training. In 2019, WGFC members participated in 51 training classes; the majority of classes were run in house. That translates into almost at total of 121 classroom hours.

1,152 class sessions were registered, meaning that WGFC firefighters individually participated that many times. That adds up to a staggering 2,445 man hours of training!

Many of these training sessions are held on Monday evenings, over a 2-3 hour period. Topics include, for example, hose line advancement, large volume water flow, training on a new apparatus, and vehicle rescue skills. Sometimes the classes are held over an entire day, like when the WGFC goes to the Chester County Public Safety Training Center and runs live fire evolutions. In 2019, that session lasted 6.5 hours with 21 members participating.

Throughout the year, members and officers also attend external training. In 2019, 31 members attended 21 out-of-house trainings at the local, county, state and national level. For example, senior officers attended the International Fire Chiefs Volunteer and Combination Officers Section Fall Conference; members were at classes on gas emergencies held by PECO; students attended EMT classes; and members went to state-level classes on administrative management of fire companies.

“As a group, the membership of the WGFC is committed to being as prepared as possible to respond to any emergency in our community, and, to do so, we must continuously train on new techniques and be regularly practiced on the skills that make us effective,” said Fire Chief Justin Gattorno. “I’m exceptionally proud of our training accomplishments in 2019, which is testimony to the commitment of our volunteers and career staff and the leadership of our officers to make it all happen.”