

Overhauling Orientation: Adapting to today’s challenges of onboarding new firefighters and direct hires
Shane Marstiller
Saturday, June 14, 2025
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Departments that aren’t large enough to have their own academy often have some type of onboarding process that introduces the firefighter to the organization. Many of these falls short of setting up the new firefighter for success for their first day on the line. Company officers get frustrated with the lack of knowledge that new firefighters possess creating a snowball effect where nobody wins. This discussion will focus on how to lay the foundation for a successful onboarding program. We will look at defining your organization specific goals, creating, and establishing measurable benchmarks, and a crawl walk run approach to hands on training that will better prepare new hires to survive their first shift.
Shane Marstiller
I have worked for Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue for 15 years and have been heavily involved in training for the past 5. In 2023 I graduated from the Georgia Smoke Diver Program and South Carolina Fire Officer Academy. I recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant after serving as a driver for 14 years.