Training and Development of Incident Commanders in the Fire and Rescue Services: A Scoping Review

The aim of this scoping review was to summarize scholarly research on training and development of first responders and incident commanders in the fire and rescue services, with an emphasis on identifying emerging research questions and research gaps. From 2013 to 2024, 1343 studies were identified from the search in Web of Science, ProQuest, and Ovid/Psycinfo databases. A detailed search, screening, and selection strategy was performed, and 28 studies were retained based on prior established criteria. A majority of these studies were conducted in Europe (54%), North America (25%), Asia (11%), or Oceania (11%). Most studies (64%) used a quantitative approach, followed by a qualitative (21%), mixed methods (7%), or register data (7%) approach. A cross-sectional case design was most common (54%), while (21%) applied an experimental or a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design; only (7%) applied a longitudinal design. The studies could be organized into four interrelated themes focusing on (a) Workplace safety, stress, and resilience; (b) Incident command and crisis leadership; (c) Leader development and personnel management; and (d) Training innovation and technology. The scoping review offers recommendations to enhance future research on the training and development of incident commanders in the fire and rescue services.