When North Metro Fire Battalion Chief John Cook and several other North Area officers came together for a weeklong truck academy in late October, they weren’t just training on tactics—they were building the foundation for a regional standard in truck operations.

About a year ago, operations chiefs across the North Area identified the need to make trucks a more specialized and consistent resource. To accomplish that, they formed the North Area Truck Group, made up of battalion chiefs and a captain representing participating departments. Their goal: unify training and strengthen the effectiveness of truck companies on the fireground.

From those discussions, the group partnered with Task Force 1, Inc. to create a customized truck academy tailored to local operations, policies and goals. The course was designed as a “train-the-trainer” program—equipping participants to return to their departments and pass on what they learned.

“In 2026, we’ll host a North Area Truck Academy using the firefighters who went through this program as the cadre,” said Battalion Chief Cook. “North Metro helped lead this effort from the start, first under Battalion Chief O’Leary and now continuing with our team, but it’s truly been a shared collaboration among all the North Area agencies.”

Collaboration Across Seven Agencies

For Cook, one of the highlights of the week was seeing seven agencies come together in a shared commitment to improve. The academy featured two tracks—engineer and officer—allowing each group to build specific skill sets that enhance real-world performance on busy fire scenes.

“Seeing everyone work seamlessly together was incredible,” Cook said. “The interoperability we’re building means that when we’re on the street, it doesn’t matter which department shows up first—everyone understands the same tactics and expectations.”

Strengthening Firefighter Capability and Community Impact

The academy focused on apparatus positioning, spotting, controls and maximizing a fire truck’s full capabilities—areas where participants identified opportunities for improvement. The result is not only stronger technical skills but also enhanced safety and efficiency for both firefighters and civilians.

As Cook explained, “We’re a suburban fire department, and our trucks sometimes take on a range of roles. Understanding how to use that apparatus to its fullest—whether for victim extraction, fire location, or early containment—creates safer, more tenable environments for civilians and crews alike.”

Looking Ahead

With command staff’s support, planning is already underway for the North Area Truck Academy in 2026. In the meantime, departments will continue gathering data and integrating new tactics into street operations.

“These are aggressive, intelligent, forward-thinking firefighters,” Cook said. “As new hires come in, they can count on being developed in that same mindset. What we’re learning here doesn’t just apply to trucks—it benefits every firefighter and strengthens how we protect our community.”