Types of Knowledge
Declarative knowledge is information that can be easily explained, documented, and shared, such as facts in a book or materials presented in a lecture or online learning environment. Procedural knowledge is how to do things, such as standard operating guidelines or procedures. These types of explicit knowledge covering topics like fire behavior, building construction, and firefighting tactics are foundational, and crucial for firefighters and fire officers,.
However, true expertise also depends on tacit knowledge, which is a web of intuitive and experiential insights. For instance, when a firefighter or fire officer recognizes changing conditions that might indicate an impending flashover, they are likely tapping into this tacit knowledge rather than performing a conscious analysis of factors like smoke velocity, neutral planes, or smoke color changes.
Traditional training often emphasizes the transfer of explicit knowledge, but passing along tacit knowledge presents a bigger challenge. At Command Competence, in partnership with CFBT-US, we focus on developing both types of knowledge, ensuring a deeper level of competence.
The Importance of Experience
Most firefighters and fire officers agree that experience is vital to becoming a competent incident commander (IC). However, simply “being there” is not enough. It’s the engagement in experiential learning—actively reflecting on and learning from each incident—that builds the capability to recognize critical cues, spot patterns, and notice anomalies.
These skills form the basis of Dr. Gary Klein’s recognition-primed decision-making model, which was developed by studying experienced fireground commanders. Still, as the 1930s professional baseball player Vernon Law noted, “Experience is a hard teacher because the test is first and the lesson afterward.”
Defining Competence
Think about the firefighters and officers you have worked with. Who truly demonstrates competence? What sets them apart?
At a minimum, competent firefighters and officers have a solid foundation in:
- Fire behavior
- Building construction
- Strategy and tactics
- Incident command
Yet competence also requires being able to apply this knowledge in real-world scenarios. According to Dr. Klein, expert ICs are especially adept at quickly recognizing critical cues and patterns and then activating “action scripts” (typical response plans), testing these ideas through mental simulations and models.
The Path to Expertise
How does a firefighter or fire officer develop competence and become truly an expert in the science, craft, and art of firefighting? Not all seasoned firefighters and officers exhibit the same level of cognitive skill or decision-making ability. Simply responding to incidents over time does not guarantee mastery. Expertise requires deliberate practice—targeted exercises designed to build tacit knowledge, and the mental agility needed to make sound decisions under pressure.
The Command Competence Solution
Command Competence by CFBT-US, LLC integrates:
- Evidence-based training in fire dynamics, strategy, and tactics
- Incident command best practices
- Proven cognitive training methods
By blending solid theoretical understanding with practical, hands-on learning, we help firefighters and fire officers develop the critical cognitive skills needed for effective decision-making in dynamic, high-stakes environments. Through rigorous, deliberate practice, fire service professionals build both the explicit and tacit knowledge necessary to excel in fireground command.