Training Safety Officer (TSO) Program

This page was updated in July 2025 to include enhancements from the new TSO 2 program, which expands safety practices and operational applications for Training Safety Officers.

Public safety work is dangerous enough as police offers and firefighters routinely bring control and order to chaos in the field — but now injuries are also on the rise for them in training.

The problem

Training injuries to public safety responders are on the rise both nationally and in Minnesota. The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) data show that a significant percentage of firefighter and police officer workers’ compensation injuries occur during training.

In addition to the injury itself, both the department and the injured have to deal with the “the rest of the iceberg” of an injury: covering shifts, light duty, personnel stress, potential re-injury, management time, higher premiums, medical and therapy appointments, physical deconditioning, and even disconnect from the department.

A potential solution

So how can your city reduce training injuries? Consider the Training Safety Officer (TSO) program. The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) has partnered with police and fire departments across the state to develop this program — a low-cost way of building on the control that exists in training to make it safer without watering down good training.

This program recommends that departments implement a safety officer assignment when engaged in active training. The TSO’s role in training is very similar to the airfield control tower. The TSO provides oversight, control, and guidance while working with the instructor to ensure that all trainees have a professional and safe experience with reduced injuries.

The Training Safety Officer (TSO) 2 Program builds on the original TSO model, strengthening safety practices during training while also expanding the TSO’s role across operations.

There are six major components to the TSO program:

1. Planning Meeting – The TSO collaborates with the instructor to integrate the safety plan into the training lesson plan, ensuring hazards are proactively identified and mitigated.
2. Safety Plan – This outlines specific safety concerns and identifies training components that pose the highest risk for injury or incident.
3. Site Inspection and Setup – The TSO inspects the training location to address environmental risks and ensures protective gear and emergency medical equipment are ready and accessible.
4. New in TSO 2: Safety Briefings – The TSO 2 introduces a layered approach:
   1. Short initial briefings provide an overview, including stop procedures, how to report concerns, and pre-existing injury checks.
   2. “Just-in-time” briefings occur during training, especially ahead of high-risk activities (e.g., firearms qualifications), improving safety retention and focus.
5. Training Session Oversight – The TSO observes the full session to maintain situational awareness, ensure safety plan compliance, and monitor pre-identified concerns.
6. New in TSO 2: After-Action Review (AAR) – This is a short debrief between the TSO and instructor after the session, focused on:
   1. What went well.
   2. What could be improved.

The AAR also marks the formal end of the training session. No additional activities (e.g., informal drills or gear testing) should take place after this point.

New in TSO 2: Program Themes and Mindset Shifts

TSO 2 also introduces key guiding principles:

1. Themes of resilience and mindfulness to improve awareness and preparation.
2. Risk assessment questions, including:
   1. What must go right?
   2. What could go wrong?
   3. What has gone wrong in the past?

New in TSO 2: Expanding the Role of the TSO

Departments are encouraged to use TSOs beyond training, including:

• Scene Safety Officers during large-scale or multi-agency operations, especially where mutual aid is involved.
• Safety planning for public events (e.g., school lockdown drills, festivals, parades).
• Facilitation of AARs following operations or public events.
• For smaller departments, TSOs should be prioritized for high-risk training days, with support focused on initial safety briefings and just-in-time reminders.

Resources

Scripts for Training:

• Fire Sample Training Briefing (pdf)
• Police Sample Training Briefing (pdf)

Review Prior to and During Training:

• Fire and Police Safety Briefing Worksheet (pdf)
• Training Risk Assessment Form Template (pdf)

Feedback on the TSO Program

“We were doing some of this already, but the TSO program gave us a model to take it to a new and higher level. Because we expose our paid-on-call firefighters to more risk and danger than they ever face in their normal lives, we need to make it as safe as possible — and it needs to start with their training. We have now taken the TSO program further, requiring the safety officer for all trainings and color-coding the level of risk and danger associated with that training. We are seeing a significant increase in firefighters’ situational awareness; we believe in the TSO program.”
-Jerry Streich, Andover Fire Chief

“This is a fabulous program. While risk is part of the job, these training injuries are preventable. We knew some of this, but implementing the TSO program is a leap forward. Because though we were starting to do some of this, the TSO program really formalized it and made it real. It works great for us.”
-Jeff McCormick, Cannon Falls Police Chief