Field Training Officer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Field Training Officer, as the name implies, is an experienced or senior member of an organization who is responsible for the training of a junior or probationary level member. The FTO program is utilized mostly by police and EMS/Fire departments, since these jobs require extensive training beyond what is taught in an academic setting.
A police officer, criminal analyst or EMT first receives classroom training and certification (POST and EMT, respectively), then moves on to field training with the department for which they work. Usually, new officers, analysts or EMTs are only allowed to work with an FTO for a pre-determined amount of time, or until the field training staff determines that they are ready to work on their own. The duties of the FTO involve being a role model of the expectations of training, teaching the trainee the policies of the department and to correctly apply the concepts they learned in the classroom to field operations, and evaluating the trainee on his or her progress in the program. Ultimately, the FTO is responsible for making sure shift duties are performed properly and completely, making the position a particularly challenging one.
