Capitol Fire Training

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Capitol Fire Training Capitol Fire Training LLC is devoted to teaching firefighters across the nation basic and advanced s

Capitol Fire Training LLCis a corporation composed of experienced Fire and Rescue Instructors and Firefighters from all over the United States. Our Instructors hail from organizations ranging in size from the smallest to some of the largest and most successful departments in our Nation. Capitol Fire Training Instructors share real-life training, techniques, and experiences that go beyond your everyday drills and manuals. We strive to make every lecture and hands-on training fun and interactive while simultaneously meeting the specific needs of your staffing, department, or organization.

10/18/2026

**NEW Podcast**
“Fire Service Instruction”
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This months topic on the Fire Engineering “Talkin’ Tactics” podcast is about fire service instruction. During the segment we talk about what makes good fire service, instructors, traits, and things to bring to the table when teaching students. These hosts are all instructors with Capitol Fire Training and have been instructors with Capitol since the inception in 2009, and they dive into what makes good service instructors.
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Check out the podcast be sure to like and subscribe to the talking tactics podcast to always stay up-to-date on the latest drops and information share.
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(Link in bio)
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10/13/2026

Coffin Cut
“Dueling Saws”
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We’ve covered the 7,9,8 coffin cut many times before. A cut that can be done very fast with one member cutting in the fashion of cuts that resemble a 7,9 and an 8 look.
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This cut can be done even faster when we get another saw in motion and the two members navigate the area and work together. Essentially the best way to tackle this is each member takes a half of the cut, or half of the series of cuts. The end shape of the ventilation hole will essentially resemble a large number 8. If we draw an imaginary line down the middle of it, each member is taking half of the rectangle (or 8). All members stretch from the middle bringing the cuts back to them, and nobody ever has to step inside of their cuts running the risk of falling in/through.
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This sequence is something that can be noted if a member starts the process and another member makes it to the roof he/she could jump in and help speed up the cuts by just knowing where the other member is at in the sequence and just working yourself into the cuts. Bring all your tools, bring many saws, get it open, and get off! Commercial vertical ventilation is no light feat.
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(🎥: Members from FCFR Tower 1 work with members from Rescue Squad 14 and 6 Engine, to open up a commercial roof during training held by Frederick Fire-Training division. The video was sped up for time, but the rod was opened up in nearly 2 mins).
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10/05/2026

**Capitol Quick-Tip**
“Simulated Fire”
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Not all the time can we burn inside of a structure, but it’s still important to give the students a look of what it would be like with fire. Recreating elements sometimes is the best that we can do, and it’s still a “win” if we get to drive those points home to the students. There’s a few things that we like to teach when it comes to search and this type of element helps with that:

✔️- Door Control
✔️- Location Of Fire Relative to search
✔️- Knocking Back Fire (Can-Work)
✔️- Using Real Victims

These things are all important when searching for victims. One of the things that we do to recreate an element, is take a mini flood light and put it underneath a traffic cone. We also add fake smoke to give that blurriness and element inside. Having that orange glow inside the structure gives students that visual cue and allows them to apply these things noted above to their thought processes when searching and removing victims.
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Some Hard Truth’sVictim Removals “In Training”:We wholeheartedly believe that how you perform in training carries over t...
10/01/2026

Some Hard Truth’s
Victim Removals “In Training”
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We wholeheartedly believe that how you perform in training carries over to the fire-ground…especially if you are performing a skill over and over again. Those “reps” are engraining into one’s head that is how business is conducted.

Here’s the hard truth’s that you need to remind yourself in training that you want carried over to the fireground…
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The reality is that the moment we bring someone out from a fire they need to be immediately placed into hands of those who can treat and transport…or we need to treat! You can hate EMS all you want, but the job of a firefighter then switches to EMS the moment we cross the threshold with that person. Training to remove victims should also include the efforts needed to help that person survive. Some factors to make the transition easy:

🎙️- Radio to command the identification of a victim.

(This prepares everyone outside)

🎙️- Announce the exit location you and the victim we be arriving at.

🎙️-No EMS begin CPR!
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Too often do we find ourselves taking shortcuts in training. How we hold the “victims”, how we move the “victims”, how we transfer care. What we do in training over and over again becomes engrained. In training the victims MUST be handed off to someone outside or your on compressions until cleared by an instructor. Do it right, give these victims the best chance of survival based on how we practiced to give them the chance.
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📸: Members from Frederick County Fire/Rescue removed a “victims” from a simulated fire either no EMS present yet. It is expected that the firefighters get right to CPR while waiting for people and equipment to come from wherever EMS units, engine, truck or rescue companies).
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**Viking Turnout Gear**“Our Preferred Choice”:Since 2023 Capitol Fire Training Instructors made the switch to VIKING Tur...
09/28/2026

**Viking Turnout Gear**
“Our Preferred Choice”
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Since 2023 Capitol Fire Training Instructors made the switch to VIKING Turnout Gear for our preferred choice in firefighter turnout gear. With the switch came many things that changed our view about firefighting turnout gear:

✅- Designing a spec that would work for our needs and others that mirror our line of work as fire service instructors and those firefighters.

✅-Versatility in our turnout pants, good knee padding for teaching, crawling, lower level movements.

✅- Proprietary blended color- No fading on our gear at all!

✅- Customized pant loop options for our class 2 & 3 harness on our pants.

✅-Water proofing ( )

✅-Joining a team that cares about safety & firefighter protection.

✅- The overall weight of the garments
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Hands down our instructor group loves our Viking gear. You can now ask for the “Capitol Spec” when requesting demos and options for your departments gear specs through Viking and fire service dealers that sell Viking.
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09/25/2026

**The Oath & Mission**
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There seems to be a constant reminder of “the oath” and often times we throw it in many people’s face as if everyone swore to the same thing. Truth be told there’s many who never took the oath and were put into place to help serve and are still learning what the job is about, and what we’re here to do. Because they didn’t that doesn’t disqualify them from what the mission is, but it’s our job to teach them.
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This will shock many, but there are many departments that don’t even own a mission statement. Again, doesn’t excuse anyone from knowing what to do and how to serve, but as fire service instructors and leaders it’s our job to teach it eloquently. Everyone should know at least their oath and or mission statement of their department. It should be displayed proudly for any and everyone to read or access. If your department doesn’t have one, develop one and at the very least on a lower level your company should have one that everyone in that firehouse believes in and upholds.
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There’s no dispute we have to uphold the oath, but let’s teach people what to uphold and help people establish something to uphold if they don’t have anything in place. After all it’s our job as fire service instructors to deliver the information in a way that everyone can comprehend and at the same time process.
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Frederick County Fire/Rescue Mission
“To safely provide fire, rescue and emergency medical services, while educating, reducing risk and protecting protecting our community in a professional, efficient manner with a well trained, healthy workforce”.
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(🎥: Frederick County Fire/Rescue recruit class 33 & 34 take the oath to serving and protecting the community and upholding the standards. This is done at the conclusion of every graduation ceremony and each person puts their name and their stamp to it).
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May we never forget the sacrifice that these three made September 24th 2016. Jerry Fickes, Christopher Leach, and Ardyth...
09/24/2026

May we never forget the sacrifice that these three made September 24th 2016. Jerry Fickes, Christopher Leach, and Ardythe Hope.
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All who selflessly gave to their families, community, their department and to the American Fire Service. A true honor that we get to keep their memories alive through our work. May we forever remember them.
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Take some time today to pray for them, their families and their fire department family of the Wilmington Fire Department.
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09/23/2026

**Omaha, Omaha**
“The Adjustment”
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The fireground is forever changing on us. We can have the best thought out policies and procedures that tell you where to go, what to bring, but you MUST have the ability to see and do on your own. Conditions drive tactics, and with that, you have to be able to switch up the play based on what you physically see in front of you, and be able to get the whole team to adjust to the play just as quickly. It’s okay to call an audible, but can you get everyone on the same page?
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Adjusting on the fly is taught! It’s skills that can be practiced. More importantly something that needs to be continually evaluated especially for members who are moving/ operating independently. Retired Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Payton Manning who was also a hall of famer, 2 super bowls, 5 MVP awards, and over 530 touchdowns thrown consistently practiced adjusting on the fly with his teammates. The fire service has many parallels to the game of football.
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(🎥: Robert James discusses the parallels of firefighting and the sport of football during this presentation “The Playbook” at Training Days in Alexandria Virginia. This presentation highlights movements on the fire-ground much like movements on the football field).
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09/22/2026

This past weekend CFT instructors traveled to Newark Delaware at Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company to instruct at the 7th Annual Jerry Fickes Memorial Training Weekend. This years theme was “Rescue Skills: No Hose, No Water”.
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Over the two days students worked on fire and rescue skills, one skillset each day. Fire skills included: Advanced forcible entry, search tactics & victim removal, FF Removal and stokes basket operations.

Rescue skills included: Vehicle stabilization, extrication tactics of all types of resting vehicles, high angle stokes evolutions, and mechanical advantages.
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Saturday night’s social brought in close to 75 people to hear FDNY Retired FF Al Benjamin, who spoke about what being a firefighter in a rescue company actually means. This years training we had students travel in from as north as Boston Mass. and as south as Georgia. Thank you to everyone who came from all over, and especially a huge thank you to the admin of Aetna Hose Hook & Ladder Co. The fact that we can come together, honor Aetna member & Wilmington Firefighter Jerry Fickes in the name of training is truly astounding!

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Washington D.C., DC

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(240)3953701

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