Instructor Resources

• Click Here To Download Programs From TRADE's Virtual TRADEing Post

  Purpose: To enable Fire Departments to maximize their performance through quick and easy information exchange.

  What to be exchanged:

• Non-copyrighted information
• PowerPoint presentations
• Lesson Plans
• Training programs or other downloadable materia

TRADE was initiated in 1984 to address the difficulties that State and local fire training systems were experiencing in disseminating quality-training programs effectively. The essential components of the TRADE system are the 10 regional networks that correspond to the existing Federal regional boundaries. These networks provide a mechanism for the exchange of resources and materials within and among Regions. Regional TRADE co-chairs, one selected from the State fire training systems and the other from the metropolitan fire services in each Region, serve as the points of contact for both intraregional and interregional networking activities.

The TRADE network consists of the directors of the 50 State Fire Service Training Systems and senior executive training officers from the Nation's largest fire departments. Metropolitan fire department TRADE representatives are from the largest fire departments in each State or those fire departments which protect populations greater than 200,000 and/or have more than 400 uniformed personnel.

Subscribe To TRADENET

TRADENET is sponsored by the USFA's National Fire Academy. The objective of this listserv is to provide a method of information exchange between members of Fire Service organizations. If you have a question or comment for inclusion in the TRADENET listserv, please send it and your contact information to RobertJ.Bennett@dhs.gov. Your comment/question will be posted to the listserv. USFA reserves the right to edit content submitted.

Subscribe To TRADENET

The objectives of TRADE are to:

• identify fire, rescue, and emergency medical services training needs at the regional level;
• identify and exchange training programs and resources within Regions and, whenever possible, replicate those resources;
• provide to NFA an annual assessment of fire training resource needs within the Region, together with recommendations as to how TRADE can better support Federal, State, and local fire training systems; and
• identify national trends with an impact on fire-related training and education.

Every 2 years all participating members are invited to attend a national TRADE conference, held at NFA, which provides structured opportunities for the exchange of fire-related training and educational materials, as well as peer networking. On alternate years, there is a meeting of the 20 regional TRADE co-chairs. Each regional network meets periodically with its membership for the same purposes.

The next TRADE conference is scheduled for October 28 – November 2, 2006. For further information, contact the TRADE Program Manager at (800) 238-3358, ext. 1483, or Email the TRADE network.

TRADE's Virtual TRADEing Post is online and running. This site allows you to see an index of each of the CD's, then access and download any specific lesson plan or program you see and use it as you need in your Department. When you find a file you wish to download, just open it and then “SAVE AS” to your computer. Then you can modify it as you wish.  Remember, please do not take any program and use it in a copyrighted program. The intent of TRADE is to “share” information that will allow the Fire Service not to reinvent the wheel each and every time they need something. The site is <http://feti.lsu.edu/municipal/NFA/TRADE/>.
Please provide me feedback regarding your thoughts and ideas about this page.

Also, if you find the Virtual TRADEing Post useful, please send an email to Wil Dane wdane1@lsu.edu <mailto:wdane1@lsu.edu> and Nashid Hasan  mhasan1@lsu.edu <mailto:mhasan1@lsu.edu>. Nash is the mastermind behind the structure of the Virtual TRADEing Post, but his boss, Wil allows him to assist us in this endeavor. So, please let them know how much you appreciate the availability of this material and how useful you find it.

Several people have experienced difficulty accessing the TRADE's Virtual TRADEing Post through the address published and have contacted me for suggestions. If you have experienced difficulty accessing TRADE's Virtual TRADEing Post, try the following.

Go to Louisiana State University Fire and Emergency Training Institute's Homepage: <http://www.feti.lsu.edu> and try accessing it from there. At the bottom of the right-hand column of LSU-FETI's Homepage the NFA is listed.
Below this is the TRADE Repository. You can "click" on this and it should take you to TRADE's Virtual TRADEing Post.