WSESI August Updates

August is Our Reset Point

Summer events are winding down. Departments are trying to get back into a normal rhythm. Technical colleges and training centers are preparing for fall classes. Training officers are looking at the calendar and wondering where the year went.

This is a good time to reset.

We do not need to rebuild everything. We do not need another binder, another acronym, or another 100-slide PowerPoint. But we do need to look honestly at what we are teaching, why we are teaching it, and whether our students can perform when the class is over.

Save the Date: 2027 WSESI Annual Conference

Mark your calendars for the 2027 WSESI Annual Conference at Fox Valley Technical College.

Dates: February 15–22, 2027

Location: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton

The full schedule, registration information, speakers, hands-on programs, and special events will be announced as planning continues.

Fox Valley Tornado: Support Our Own

On July 27, a powerful tornado moved through the Fox Cities, causing significant damage in Appleton, Fox Crossing, and Menasha.

The National Weather Service gave the tornado a preliminary EF-3 rating with estimated peak winds of 140 mph. It developed west of Appleton, tracked south through Fox Crossing and Menasha, and damaged homes, businesses, vehicles, trees, and public infrastructure before dissipating over Lake Winnebago. One of the hardest hits to the emergency services community was Fox Crossing Fire Department Station 41. The station was destroyed, its roof was torn away, and several fire apparatus were buried beneath metal and debris. The full extent of the equipment loss was still being assessed as recovery work continued.

WSESI extends its support to Fox Crossing Fire Department, the Neenah-Menasha fire service community, Appleton-area responders, dispatchers, law enforcement, emergency management, public works, utilities, and everyone involved in the response and recovery.

If your department, college, association, or organization can help, reach out through the proper local channels. Do not self-deploy or add another problem for local command to manage. But when assistance is requested, consider what your organization may be able to provide.

Training Opportunities

Free Wisconsin DSPS Fall Training

The Wisconsin DSPS Fire Prevention and Fire Department Safety and Health Program is offering several free training sessions during August.

August 12: Virtual session, 6–8 p.m.

August 25: Virtual session, 1–3 p.m.

August 26: In person at the Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center or online, 6–8 p.m.

Topics include Wisconsin fire code in schools, the Youth Firefighter Training Grant, ImageTrend Elite updates, community risk-reduction tools, local and state fire code enforcement, SPS 314 and NFPA 1 updates, NERIS, respiratory protection under SPS 330, and the petition for variance process.

These sessions are free, current, and directly connected to the work Wisconsin departments and instructors are doing.

Registration: Click the link here => https://bookwhen.com/widsps-fireprevention#focus=ev-srnjh-20260812180000.

Free training only helps when people know it exists. Instructors are often the connection between state programs and the members working in local departments. Share the opportunity, attend a session, and bring the useful information back to your organization.

Sign Up Now: Free NFA Course at NWTC

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is hosting Wildland-Urban Interface Risk Assessment & Mitigation for the Fire Service, F2292, on September 3–4 in Green Bay.

This two-day, 16-hour National Fire Academy course uses science-based fire engineering research and guidance to help fire service personnel identify wildland-urban interface hazards and develop practical mitigation strategies.

The course is being provided free through funding from the SFPE Foundation. According to NWTC Fire Program Coordinator Dan Koland, this is one of only three offerings of the course nationwide.

Course: F2292, Wildland-Urban Interface Risk Assessment & Mitigation for the Fire Service

Dates: September 3–4, 2026

Location: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay

Cost: Free

Registration: Contact Dan Koland at daniel.koland@nwtc.edu

View the official National Fire Academy course description

Agricultural Rescue Training at Mid-State

Mid-State Technical College and the Pittsville Fire Department will host a two-day Agricultural Rescue Training program on October 23–24.

The training will be held at Mid-State’s Marshfield Campus and Heiman Holsteins near Marshfield. It is designed for firefighters, EMTs, and rescue personnel who may respond to incidents involving agricultural equipment, livestock, confined spaces, grain bins, manure pits, and other rural hazards.

Training topics include agricultural tourism incidents, trauma response, confined-space gas hazards, tractor rollovers, machinery extrication, manure pit rescue, grain-bin rescue, and large-animal rescue. Friday includes in-person and virtual options, while Saturday focuses on hands-on field training.

Dates: October 23–24, 2026

Location: Mid-State Technical College Marshfield Campus and Heiman Holsteins

Cost: $125 per person

Enrollment: Limited to 100 participants

Departments registering three or more participants will receive a free four-gas monitor through support from the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund and the National Farm Medicine Center.

Click the link here => https://www.mstc.edu/about-us/news-and-events/news/mid-state-host-ag-rescue-training-emergency-responders-2026-07

Fall Instructor Aid: Purpose, Standard, Practice, Proof

As the fall semester begins, every lesson should answer four basic questions.

Purpose: Why does the student need this?

Standard: What does correct performance look like?

Practice: How will the student get meaningful repetitions?

Proof: How will the student demonstrate that they can actually do it?

That is the lesson plan.

The slides, videos, demonstrations, handouts, and stories are there to support those four things. They are not the lesson by themselves.

Too many classes begin with the material instead of the mission. We open the PowerPoint and start working through the slides because that is what we have always done. We may cover the information, but covering information is not the same as teaching.

Before your first class this fall, look at every major section of the course and ask whether it supports the purpose, explains the standard, creates meaningful practice, or measures performance.

If it does none of those things, why is it there?

The first night sets the tone. Students notice when a class is organized, practical, and worth their time. They also notice when the instructor is unprepared or simply reading from the screen.

We cannot control every student’s motivation. We can control whether we are ready to teach.

New Member Features on the WSESI Website

WSESI members can now create their own profiles and access new members-only features on the Society’s website.

These features include discussion boards where members can ask questions, share ideas, and connect with instructors across Wisconsin. Members can also access the growing instructor resource library containing training materials, references, lesson resources, and useful tools.

The value of these resources will depend on participation.

Create your profile. Ask a question. Share a resource. Start a conversation. Help make the website useful throughout the year, not just during conference season.

Help Us Grow the WSESI Community

WSESI is strongest when more instructors, officers, educators, and emergency service professionals are connected to the organization.

Please like and follow the WSESI Facebook page, share our posts, and help spread the word about the Society. Every share helps us reach someone who may benefit from our training, resources, conference, and statewide network.

Membership is not only about what one person receives. It is about strengthening the entire instructor community across Wisconsin.

Invite someone to join. Bring someone to the conference. Share the newsletter. Start the conversation.

That is how the Society grows.