a firefighter sitting beside their yellow firefighter hat on a brown and yellow firefighter's suit

Creating award-winning emergency services LMS for Air Force

AFCEC/CXF partnered with PowerTrain to create the Total Force Virtual Learning Center (TF-VLC). This custom LMS hosts all DoD Firefighter Certification courses and other digital training products, ensuring that essential training is accessible to DoD firefighters worldwide.

Trusted training support

Since 2013, PowerTrain has been the trusted provider of hosting and help desk support for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Fire Emergency Services Division (AFCEC/CXF). Handling everything from project management to supplies, we ensure seamless performance of all hosting and support services for AFCEC/CXF’s online training platform used by Department of Defense (DoD) emergency response personnel.

45

SCORM 1.2 Digital Products

Award-Winning

Chief V. Kenneth Elmore Memorial Award

750,000

Firefighters and Emergency Responders

Global training hub for firefighters

To meet military and civilian firefighter certification requirements, AFCEC/CXF partnered with PowerTrain to create the Total Force Virtual Learning Center (TF-VLC). This custom, SCORM 1.2-compliant learning management system (LMS) hosts all DoD Firefighter Certification courses and other digital training products, ensuring that essential training is accessible to DoD firefighters worldwide.

The Virtual Learning Center homepage with quick access to "My Profile", "My Courses", "My Transcript", and the "Help Desk"
A "My Courses" page listing Fire & Emergency Services Training courses
The Help Desk page through which users can submit a ticket

Streamlined access & enhanced support

In 2021, PowerTrain developed and launched the Automated User Approval module, streamlining user processes and archiving inactive users for AFCEC. This LMS enhancement ensures that only DoD users access online training through a specialized login system, verifying users with their email, password, last four digits of their Student ID, and last name.

During the transition period when the Automated User Approval module was implemented, there was initially a surge in help desk tickets. We managed this influx of tickets by redesigning the login page to direct users to the appropriate help paths. This update significantly reduced help desk tickets and enhanced the overall user experience.

“The Chief V. Kenneth Elmore Memorial Award is presented to an accredited agency which has demonstrated outstanding success in promoting professional qualifications for fire and emergency service personnel for as many of its constituency as possible… Thank you all for your patience and support as we have overcome many obstacles while attempting to deliver a premier F&ES training and certification program. We are continuing to strive to improve the program LMS accessibility, course content, course delivery, and relevance for today’s firefighter and emergency responder.”

— Alton Robinson, Project Manager

Adapting courses from Flash to HTML5

From 2013 to 2020, PowerTrain maintained the TF-VLC courses, updating them when required using Flash, which output SCORM-compliant packages. With Flash being phased out, over 24 courses needed updates to HTML5 templates. Rapid course releases introduced challenges with SCORM packages and file compatibility. To address this, PowerTrain increased project management support and provided dedicated LMS administration, ensuring smooth updates and technical support for all courses. We also reviewed and provided technical recommendations to improve courseware functionality, utilizing our company’s expertise in adult learning principles and technology.

Overall, PowerTrain provides robust LMS support, including high-speed hosting, extensive help desk coverage, project management, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring effective online training delivery and continuous LMS improvement (such as the Automated User Approver Module). We also update and maintain courses to address compatibility issues and future-proof the content.

Recognized excellence in training innovation

PowerTrain’s exceptional work in supporting AFCEC/CXF, including the development of the TF-VLC and its continual improvements, such as the Automated User Approval module, has led to significant improvements in online training and user experience. Our dedication to maintaining and enhancing the LMS, along with addressing compatibility challenges, has been recognized with the prestigious 2024 Pro Board’s Chief V. Kenneth Elmore Award, highlighting our outstanding contribution to advancing professional qualifications for fire and emergency service personnel. This award underscores PowerTrain’s commitment to excellence and innovation in supporting critical training for DoD firefighters.

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