Skill Check-Offs: Recording What Your Members Can Do

Training records show the hours your members put in. Skill check-offs show what they can actually do as a result. Every check-off creates a dated, signed record of who demonstrated what competency, evaluated by whom — the digital equivalent of a task book, without the loose paper.

There are two ways to record skill check-offs in Command Established: batch check-offs after a training session (sign off on multiple members and multiple skills at once) and individual check-offs from a member's personnel record (sign off on a single skill for a single member). Most departments will use batch check-offs for the majority of their work — it's faster, it ties the check-offs to the training where the skills were demonstrated, and the instructor only signs once for the entire batch.

Batch Check-Offs After Training

This is the recommended workflow when you've just finished a training session and want to record which skills your members demonstrated. The batch flow lets you check off multiple skills for multiple trainees at once, with one instructor signature covering the entire batch.

Getting Started

1. Open the training session you just completed
2. Click Check off skills in the header actions
3. The system automatically pulls in the training's department members from the attendance list as your trainees (external personnel — mutual-aid or outside attendees — are excluded from the batch flow)

Step 1: Pick Skills

Select which skills from your department's catalog were attempted during this training session. Skills are organized by category — check the ones that apply. You need at least one skill selected to continue.

Tip: If you run the same drill regularly and find yourself picking the same skills each time, this is the step where that repetition happens. We're working on the ability to pre-configure skills on a training so this step comes pre-filled.

Step 2: Mark Results

Each trainee gets their own card with the selected skills listed inside it. For each skill, mark a result:

• Pass — the member demonstrated the skill to standard
• Needs practice — the member attempted but isn't there yet
• Fail — the member did not demonstrate the skill

You can leave skills unmarked — not every member needs to attempt every skill. Only skills with a result will create check-off records. Add optional notes to any skill to record specifics about the demonstration.

Step 3: Review and Lock

Before signing, review all results one more time. Select which officer or evaluator is signing as the instructor. When you're satisfied, click Lock results and start signing. This freezes the snapshot — no more edits until you unlock.

Step 4: Instructor Sign

The instructor provides one electronic signature that covers the entire batch. The system shows how many records across how many trainees are being signed for.

If you need to make changes after signing, click Unlock results — but be aware this clears the instructor's signature and any trainee signatures already captured. Everyone will need to re-sign.

Step 5: Trainee Hand-Off (When Required)

Some skills in your catalog may be configured to require the trainee's signature in addition to the instructor's. If any trainees in the batch have at least one such skill, a hand-off step appears.

The instructor passes the tablet or device to each trainee in turn. Each trainee sees only their own results (read-only) and signs to attest that the results match what they performed. After signing, a "return the tablet" screen appears so the instructor knows to take the device back.

Skipping a trainee: If a trainee isn't available to sign, the instructor can skip them. Skipped trainees' records won't be saved. The instructor will need to re-sign because the batch has changed.

Once all trainees have signed (or been skipped), click Record check-offs to save everything.

Individual Check-Offs From Personnel Records

For one-off sign-offs — a member demonstrates a skill outside of a formal training session, or you need to record a retake — use the individual check-off from the member's personnel record.

1. Open the member's personnel detail page
2. Go to the Skills tab
3. Find the skill and click the check-off action, or click Record check-off to pick from the full catalog

The individual flow records a single skill for a single member with the same pass/needs practice/fail result, optional notes, and signature ceremony.

Viewing Check-Off History

Every check-off — whether recorded in a batch or individually — appears in two places:

• On the member's Skills tab — shows the latest result for each skill and how many times it's been attempted
• On the training detail page — if the check-offs were recorded from a training session, they appear linked to that training

Setting Up Your Skill Catalog

Before you can check off skills, you need to define what skills your department tracks. Go to Training in the sidebar, then click Skills to build your catalog.

For each skill, you can configure:

• Name and category — organize skills into groups like Firefighter, EMS, Driver / Operator, Hazmat, Officer, and others
• Requires trainee signature — toggle this on for high-stakes competencies where you want the member to co-sign their evaluation

Start with the skills that matter most for your department's operations and add more as your program matures. You don't need to define everything upfront — you can always add skills later and start checking them off.

Best Practices

Use batch check-offs for training days

When you've just run a drill with multiple members, always use the batch flow from the training record rather than individual check-offs. It's faster, the records automatically link to the training, and the instructor signs once instead of per-skill.

Mark results honestly

The value of skill tracking comes from accuracy. A "needs practice" result is useful information — it tells you where to focus the next drill and gives the member a clear path forward. A false "pass" just hides a gap until it matters on the fireground.

Add notes for context

When a result needs explanation — a member passed but struggled with one part, or failed due to equipment issues rather than skill — add a note. Notes are part of the signed record and provide context that a pass/fail alone can't capture.

Require trainee signatures for critical skills

For skills that carry real liability — SCBA operations, pump operations, vehicle driving — enable "requires trainee signature" in the skill catalog. This creates a two-party attestation: the instructor confirms the evaluation, and the member confirms they performed it. It's stronger documentation if questions arise later.

Review the Skills tab regularly

Each member's Skills tab shows their current competency picture at a glance — which skills are checked off, which need work, and when each was last evaluated. Use this during annual reviews, assignment decisions, or when planning the next training cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions