FDIC workshop on academy gap
FDIC International promoted a pre-conference workshop titled 'Fire Academy to the Fire Floor: Why the Disconnect?' led by FDNY Lt. Mickey Farrell on April 14, aimed at bridging gaps between academy training and real fireground expectations. The workshop description frames it as covering the career spectrum from initial training to operational realities for new firefighters. (x.com)
Fire Department Instructors Conference International is using a preconference workshop to focus on a basic training problem: what recruits learn in the academy can differ from what crews expect on the fire floor. (fdic.com) The session, “Fire Academy to the Fire Floor: Why the Disconnect?,” is scheduled for Monday, April 21, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Room 134 at FDIC International 2026 in Indianapolis. (fdic.com) FDIC says the class will cover “the entire spectrum of a firefighter’s career,” from academy training to a first working fire and later assignments, with an emphasis on practical training and career development. (fdic.com) The instructor is Mickey Farrell, a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York and a team instructor at the Fire Department of New York Fire Academy. FDIC’s speaker page says Farrell is a third-generation firefighter with 28 years of experience, including 22 years with the New York department. (fdic.com) FDIC International has framed the gap as a problem for both ends of the job: newer firefighters looking for guidance and senior firefighters trying to rebuild training culture and standards. (fdic.com) That message fits the structure of the 2026 conference, which FDIC says will run April 20 through April 25 at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, with workshops, classroom sessions, hands-on training evolutions, and more than 800 exhibitors. (fdic.com, fdic.com) The conference is also leaning heavily on training and leadership this year. Its published program includes sessions on officer development, active-shooter response, emergency medical services, and high-intensity training blocks added for 2026. (fdic.com, fdic.com) Farrell’s background helps explain why FDIC put him on this topic. Outside the conference program, he is also listed by fire service outlets and event organizers as the founder of Top Floor Tactics and a frequent instructor on truck company operations and firefighter development. (fdic.com, apfmag.com) FDIC’s own promotion of the workshop, including a recent video and social posts ahead of the conference, suggests organizers see the academy-to-fireground handoff as a live issue worth spotlighting before the main program begins. (youtube.com, fdic.com)
