HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- When Assistant Chief of Training Tiana Bykowski stepped into her previous role as a training specialist at Hill Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services, she learned the difficult lesson that there are no guarantees on the fireground. It is an environment where egos can compromise safety and where the stakes are life and death.
Now named the Department of War Fire Service Instructor of the Year, Bykowski has spent her time transforming how firefighters acquire critical skills, and moving toward an authentic, decision-based philosophy.
During her tenure, she trained 148 firefighters, managed over 12,000 training hours, and helped her team earn 96 certifications. Beyond the classroom, she also led the “Red Card” wildland fire certification program, qualifying 63 firefighters and mitigating 23 emergencies across a seven-day wildfire mitigation effort. The program resulted in the protection of 2 million acres and $1.2 billion in assets.
She recently sat down to share how she builds team trust and why she believes a great instructor does not need to know it all.
Q: When you are teaching a room full of firefighters, what is your instruction philosophy?
Bykowski: The most important takeaway I have learned as an instructor is to remain completely honest and authentic. We must recognize that we are successful because we all know a little about a lot of things—the jack of all trades, masters of none. In any given room, there will always be individuals with more specialized knowledge or deeper experience in a specific area. It is entirely okay to lean on those resources; pick their brains, ask them to explain things, and invite them to provide input during the class.
At the end of the day, I remind myself that being a great instructor doesn't mean knowing or doing it all. Sometimes, it simply means facilitating those who do. After all, I wouldn't use a bucket to put out a fire if I had a perfectly good hose line right next to me.
Q: How do you mentally and physically prepare a firefighter for the unpredictable nature of the job?
Bykowski: One of the hardest lessons I learned when I first stepped into the training specialist position is that there are absolutely no guarantees or absolutes on the fireground.
Because of this, I shifted my approach. I began building scenarios centered around critical decision points. The goal is not to force them into a scenario of how I would execute the objective, but rather to give each firefighter the space in training to make decisions and test different tactics in a safe environment without the fear of failure.
We use a “crawl, walk, run” approach in training. We show them the objectives, teach them how to implement the tools and techniques, and then guide them to a point where adapting those skills under pressure is second nature.
Q: What is the toughest part of firefighter rescue and survival training, and how do you help the firefighters push through it?
Bykowski: The most critical training a firefighter can receive is rescue and survival training, or learning how to self-rescue or rescue a downed firefighter during an emergency. This training is incredibly physically demanding, especially considering that a firefighter wears 60 to 75 pounds of gear on top of their own body weight.
It is imperative that every firefighter has absolute faith and trust in the person to their left and right.
We have an outstanding program here at Hill. We put our firefighters through an intensive three-day Rapid Intervention Team, or RIT, training, and we also actively support the Fireground Rescue and Survival course. Through this training, our firefighters build a unique bond that forges trust and unity but also instills deep confidence in their own capabilities. We sweat with each other, eat with each other, and show up willing to do the job for each other.
Q: How does it feel to see the people you trained put their skills to work in a real crisis?
Bykowski: There is nothing more rewarding than hearing a firefighter come back to the station and say, “I just ran a call like the training we did the other day.” It goes back to providing those training experiences that build their real-world decision-making.
Q: What is the main lesson you hope your students take with them?
Bykowski: It is entirely okay to not know something. What is not okay is recognizing a gap in your knowledge or experience and doing nothing to fix it. Be relentlessly curious. Be willing to try, be willing to fail, and be willing to try again. Above all, never stop wanting to learn.
Q: Winning the DoW Fire Service Instructor of the Year is a huge honor. What does this award mean to you?
Bykowski: I am incredibly appreciative of being recognized as the DoW Fire Service Instructor of the Year. The scope of this award is certainly not lost on me, but I don't believe this title is mine alone to possess.
It feels almost hypocritical for my name to be the sole name associated with this award. The list of others who deserve recognition is long, including our students, fellow trainers, leadership, and, of course, training specialist Battalion Chief Chad Carrier, Staff Sgt. Tristan Overson, and Master Sgt. Thomas Stewart. They were all fundamental parts of the original training vision that drives our success.
I am deeply honored to represent as the Fire Service Instructor of the Year for Air Force Materiel Command, Department of the Air Force, and the DoW.
Q: What else would you like to say in conclusion?
Bykowski: I am fortunate to be surrounded by people who influence me in such a positive way. Truly, I am a product of my environment and a direct reflection of my leadership.
Our division’s goal is to build firefighters who know their job inside and out, who are obsessed with their craft, and who can perform under the toughest conditions without a second thought. This is the standard of training we provide. Although I manage the program, it means nothing without every single firefighter who comes to work with that dedication and an open mind to learn. The team I work alongside is comprised of capable, knowledgeable, and experienced firefighters. It is an honor to train and work with them every day.