It’s official: the Riskonet route to NFPA Live Virtual Trainings

October 13, 2021

You’d probably be hard pressed to find any benefits of Covid 19; but that’s not to say that there aren’t any. For example, the pandemic has driven a sea change in the way NFPA seminars are now given, explains Riskonet partner and online trainer Tom de Nooij in this blog. And it brings substantial advantages, for all parties.

Official NFPA provider

Henceforth the NFPA, the US-based National Fire Protection Association, has abandoned the traditional, or classical, training concept and will only be giving Live Virtual Trainings (LVT). And having been made an official provider of NFPA seminars, Riskonet is now authorised to organise and present these virtual seminars to companies in countries in the Central European Time zone. I feel it’s important to stress here that these are official NFPA seminars, whereby participants receive personal log-in credentials for www.nfpa.org that grants them exclusive access to their own learning environment. Moreover, after following a seminar, all participants can take an online exam. And, of course, NFPA only allows trainers to be used that are accredited by the NFPA!

Advantages

I think it’s fair to say that the advantages of all this are substantial, and abundantly clear. Firstly, participants of online seminars enjoy the convenience of learning at their own PC, either at home or at work. And secondly, it removes the need to miss an extended period of work and avoids substantial travel and accommodation costs, not to mention the obligation to comply with current Covid restrictions and regulations.

Click here to book your place in one of the seminars!

Cost savings

And the potential savings don’t end there. Due to the lower risk involved, organising a seminar has been made more cost effective and some of the savings made can be passed down to participating companies. For organisers, expensive hotel reservation costs, as well as possible cancellation costs, can be avoided. Moreover, it is not necessary to factor in for a postponement or change of venue if participation in a seminar turns out to be lower than anticipated.

Less inconvenience

Another substantial advantage is the newly gained freedom to shift away from the rigid, five-consecutive-day format of the traditional seminar. Having to spend such a protracted period of time away from work can be very inconvenient, for both employee and employer. In fact, this was often a reason for many potential participants not to participate in a seminar at all. Nowadays, we can present an LVT across several weeks. A five-day seminar, for example, can be spread out over a period of five weeks, typically on five consecutive Tuesdays.

“Riskonet started using a specially configured and professionally equipped webinar studio. ”
Tom de Nooij, Managing Director

Virtually real

As for disadvantages, there aren’t really any. Earlier this year, to address the acknowledged limitations of Zoom when used for educational purposes, Riskonet started using a specially configured and professionally equipped webinar studio. We brought in video and audio specialists and developed hardware and software solutions to make online learning a truly interactive experience. Now, rather than struggling to follow split screens - with the trainer in one and a PowerPoint presentation in the other - participants can feel and act as if they are in a real classroom. Riskonet has already presented several such LVTs from this studio and the feedback to date has been excellent. The general consensus among participants was that they often forgot that it was a virtual training session and that the trainer was not physically present with them!

Better grip on training needs

Not having to make and contend with hotel reservations has made it possible for Riskonet to set up and instigate a long-term training schedule. This will give consultants and companies a much better grip on their relevant training needs and how best they can meet them. We have recently updated the NFPA website to reflect the new situation. It’s now possible to register for the NFPA 25 (Inspection Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems), NFPA 20 (Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection), and NFPA 13 (Standard of the installation of Sprinkler Systems) seminars.

Set the date!

Multiple options are available for each of these seminars. The two-day NFPA 25, 2020 Edition seminar will be given on: 13 and 14 December 2021; 17 and 31 May 2022; and 29 November and 13 December 2022. The two-day NFPA 20, 2022 Edition seminar will be given on: 16 and 30 November 2021; 12 and 19 April 2022; and 8 and 15 November 2022. The five-day NFPA 13, 2019 Edition seminar will be given on five days throughout March 2022 and on five days from mid-September to mid-October 2022. The schedule for the NFPA 101 (Inspection Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems) seminar will be posted online soon.

Act now

Registration for these NFPA training programmes is already underway. So rather than be tempted to take the path that leads to an unofficial NFPA training, opt instead for Riskonet, the officially certified NFPA provider for the Central European Time zone. And don’t forget, subject to successful completion of the training programme, we can also issue the official NFPA certification. So, knowing what you now know, and the fact that some of these seminars will be given before the end of 2021, what are you waiting for?

Click here to book your place in one of the seminars!

 

Local offices

INTERNATIONAL

Ron de Bruijn

Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 85 043 79 40
[email protected]

AMSTERDAM

Tom de Nooij

Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 85 043 79 40
[email protected]

ISTANBUL

Özlem Emgen

Istanbul
Turkey
+90 533 21 12 051
[email protected]

KRAKOW

Leszek Golachowski

Krakow
Poland
+48 663 336 844
[email protected]

JOHANNESBURG

Chris Brits

Johannesburg
South Africa
+27 83 456 7424
[email protected]

SYDNEY

Janet Short

Coal Point (Sydney)
Australia
+61 (0)49 3868111
[email protected]

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