Cognitive Readiness Platform for Fire & EMS
ADVANCE

Train Smarter. Respond Better.

Continuous competency reinforcement for modern public safety agencies — without increasing instructor workload or pulling personnel off shift.

FORGE™ adapts training intervals and difficulty in real time based on each responder's retention and performance.

736
Expert-Authored Cards
90%+
Target Retention Rate*
Fire + EMS
Both Verticals
Live
In Production Today

* Target retention rate based on SM-2 spaced repetition methodology outcomes. Cepeda et al. (2006), Psychological Bulletin.

The Operational Cost of Traditional CE

Your Department Is Paying Twice —
Once for the Training. Once for the Forgetting.

The Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council requires every certified firefighter to complete a minimum 24 hours of approved CE annually (GFSTC Rules and Regulations, Chapter 570-14). For many departments, combined ISO PPC Category 1 and GFSTC requirements push that figure significantly higher. Here's what that actually costs:

🚐

Travel & Per Diem

Mileage, meals, and lodging for every seat filled off-site. For a 50-person department, that's hundreds of travel-days annually — a direct budget line item with no retention return.

💰

Backfill Overtime

Every training seat requires a backfill. At typical overtime rates of $150–$250/day per position (illustrative estimate; actual costs vary by department, rank, and jurisdiction), a 50-person department sending half its roster to CE can generate significant overtime costs per cycle.

📉

Staffing Degradation

Pulling personnel off-shift reduces station coverage and response capability. Multi-day CE events create sustained readiness gaps that weaken the department's operational posture.

🏛️

Scheduling Bottlenecks

GPSTC Forsyth and 10 regional sites serve the entire state. Class sizes are capped. Departments compete for slots — compliance risk rises when calendars fill ahead of your cycle.

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Compliance Exposure

Missed deadlines, incomplete records, and tracking gaps create audit and accreditation risk. Manual reporting adds administrative burden on training officers already stretched thin.

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The Retention Failure

After all the cost and disruption — firefighters return to the station and begin forgetting immediately. The brain doesn't retain massed instruction. The annual cycle starts over.

For a 50-person department, traditional CE delivery can represent an estimated $40,000–$80,000 annually in combined overtime, travel, and per diem — an illustrative range based on published municipal overtime rates and typical CE schedules. Actual costs vary by department size, rank distribution, and travel distance. All of that expenditure before a single responder has retained anything.
The Retention Crisis

Completion Is Not Retention.
A Checkmark Is Not Readiness.

Your firefighters pass the quiz on Monday. By Friday, the protocol is degrading. By next month, it's gone. This isn't a training quality problem — it's a fundamental cognitive science problem that traditional systems ignore entirely.

50–80%
Knowledge lost within 30 days¹
Training event per year
341
Days until the next event²
~80%
Forgotten within 12 months¹

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Über das Gedächtnis — foundational research in cognitive retention, validated repeatedly in spaced repetition literature (Cepeda et al., 2006; Kornell, 2009).

100% 75% 50% 25% Day 1 Day 7 Day 30 Day 60 Day 90 Review Review Review Review Traditional CE (single event) ADVANCE (spaced repetition)
The Science Is Not New. The Application to Fire & EMS Is. Spaced repetition research — from Ebbinghaus in 1885 through modern cognitive science — consistently demonstrates that distributed practice at increasing intervals produces dramatically superior long-term retention compared to massed instruction. ADVANCE applies this methodology to fire service and EMS protocol training for the first time, systematically and at scale.

¹ Retention decay estimates derived from Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Über das Gedächtnis; and Murre, J.M.J. & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus' Forgetting Curve. PLOS ONE. Actual decay rates vary by individual, content complexity, and prior knowledge.

² Based on GFSTC minimum annual CE requirement of 24 hours (GFSTC Rules and Regulations, Chapter 570-14). Calculated as 365 − 24 days.

The Solution

What Is ADVANCE?

A mobile-first adaptive learning platform purpose-built for fire service and EMS professionals. It replaces passive video-and-quiz training with an intelligent system that ensures long-term mastery of mission-critical knowledge.

🧠

FORGE™ Engine

Verified SM-2 spaced repetition schedules reviews at the precise moment you're about to forget. Built on the same science used by medical students worldwide.

📱

Mobile-First

Train on-shift, at the station, or between calls. Works on any device. Full offline support for rural stations, wildland assignments, and dead zones.

🎯

Adaptive Mastery

Every firefighter gets a personalized learning path. The system adapts in real-time based on individual performance — hard stuff comes back sooner.

📊

Outcome Intelligence

Training officers see exactly who knows what. Smart nudges surface each firefighter's weakest areas. No spreadsheets. No guessing.

🔁

Active Recall

Answers stay hidden until the firefighter attempts retrieval. Forced recall builds durable memory — not passive recognition.

🎓

Four Training Modes

Drill, Quiz, Test, Exam — each with full answer tracking and CE hour attribution. 80% pass threshold enforced server-side.

Core Technology

The FORGE™ Learning Engine

Built on the SuperMemo SM-2 algorithm. ADVANCE is the first platform to bring this level of spaced repetition science to fire and EMS.

1

Present

Mission-critical question surfaces

2

Recall

Firefighter attempts recall before reveal

3

Rate

Again, Hard, Good, or Easy

4

Schedule

SM-2 calculates next review interval

5

Master

Intervals grow as mastery solidifies

Cards you struggle with come back tomorrow. Cards you nail come back next month. The system learns you.

The Platform

Built for the Firehouse.
Not the Classroom.

Everything runs on mobile — on-shift, between calls, at the station. No laptops required. No travel. No scheduling.

Onboarding · Home Screen

ADVANCE home screen showing EMS vertical with welcome modal, Start Drilling and Take a Quiz CTAs, day streak and XP level

Dashboard · Fire Vertical

ADVANCE Fire home screen showing Fire vertical with 606 cards due, NFPA 1001 module, and smart nudge

Active Drill · Answer Feedback

ADVANCE quiz showing backdraft scenario with correct answer B highlighted green and incorrect answer D highlighted red
What's Actually at Stake

Knowledge Decay Doesn't Announce Itself.
It Shows Up on the Fireground.

Readiness gaps between training events are invisible until they aren't. The consequences of degraded recall aren't measured in test scores — they're measured in outcomes on scene.

Protocol Hesitation Under Pressure

When knowledge fades, responders pause. Hesitation in the first minutes of a structural fire, cardiac arrest, or mass casualty event has measurable consequences for patient outcomes and crew safety.

Degraded Recall on High-Acuity Calls

The protocols trained in January are the ones executed in November. If retention has degraded, so has operational confidence — regardless of what the compliance record says.

Invisible Readiness Gaps

A completed CE record doesn't tell you what's actually retained. Without continuous measurement, training officers have no visibility into real knowledge state — only compliance status.

Liability Without Documentation

If an incident occurs and training records can't demonstrate actual competency — not just attendance — departments face increased exposure. ADVANCE generates defensible documentation of knowledge state over time.

ADVANCE doesn't replace operational training. It ensures the knowledge base is intact when responders arrive on scene — so the training they've already done holds under pressure.
A New Category

Traditional LMS Was Built for HR.
ADVANCE Was Built for the Fireground.

Traditional platforms track completion. They were designed to satisfy compliance requirements — not build durable operational knowledge. That distinction is the entire problem.

Traditional LMS

Completion Tracking

Records whether content was viewed. Says nothing about what was retained.

Annual Event Model

Training delivered once per year. Retention degrades for the remaining 341 days with no intervention.

Passive Video + Quiz

Watch, click through, pass a threshold test. No active recall. No adaptive scheduling. No retention.

Static Content Delivery

Every responder receives the same content on the same schedule regardless of individual performance.

Compliance Metrics Only

Reports hours logged, not knowledge retained. Gives departments a green checkmark with no operational meaning.

ADVANCE

Retention Tracking

Tracks actual knowledge state per responder, per domain — in real time, continuously.

Continuous Reinforcement

Daily micro-sessions scheduled at adaptive intervals. Readiness maintained 365 days a year.

Active Recall + Spaced Repetition

Forced retrieval practice with SM-2 scheduling. The methodology that consistently outperforms passive instruction.

Adaptive Per-Responder

Difficulty and interval adjust in real time based on individual performance. Hard content comes back sooner.

Operational Readiness Metrics

Training officers see actual knowledge state — who is ready, who is degrading, what needs intervention.

What It Actually Looks Like

A Day with ADVANCE

🕖 0730 — Engine 7, B-Shift

Coffee in hand. Phone out. A smart nudge greets them: "187 cards are due for review. Quick 5-minute drill?" One tap. Session starts.

🧠 The Session

A Tier 2 scenario appears: "Your engine arrives first at a working structure fire with reports of entrapment. IC has not arrived. What are your immediate priorities?" Rate: Hard. SM-2 shortens the interval to 3 days.

✅ 0741 — Done

8 minutes. 14 cards. 11 correct, 2 Hard, 1 Again. 135 XP earned. 18-day streak maintained.

📊 Meanwhile — The Training Officer's View

B-shift: 92% roster compliance. 2 members with decaying hazmat scores flagged automatically. Export → PDF. Five seconds. Formatted for GFSTC.

Command-Level Intelligence

The Training Officer Command Center

Real-time visibility into every firefighter's knowledge state. One dashboard — department-wide or per-station.

🎛️

Superadmin View

Toggle between "My Department" and "All Departments" — see every station's readiness from one screen.

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Per-Vertical Filtering

Tap Fire or EMS badges on any roster card to see mastery, CE hours, and quiz count by vertical.

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PDF Compliance Report

One-click export formatted for GFSTC submission. Ready the moment you need it.

📊

CSV Data Export

Full roster export: Fire Mastered, EMS Mastered, Fire CE Hrs, EMS CE Hrs — every field, every member.

⏱️

Real-Time CE Tracking

CE hours are earned, not given. 80% pass threshold enforced server-side. No gaming it.

📋

ISO PPC Documentation

Training activity records export in ISO format — ready for your next grading cycle.

AI-Powered Operational Tutor

SIGNAL

embedded intelligence · ADVANCE platform · powered by FORGE™

Pattern aware

Sees failure trends across cards and domains. Responds to patterns, not single errors.

Always on

0200 in the station. Between calls. No training officer required. No waiting.

Zero invention

Grounded in validated material only. NFPA and NCCP-aligned. No hallucination risk.

Voice activated

Speak to SIGNAL. SIGNAL speaks back. Hands-free, on demand.

Not there to be liked. There to be trusted under pressure.

The Competitive Landscape

Traditional vs. Next-Gen

🦕 The Traditional Model

Watch a 45-minute video.
Click through slides you're not reading.
Take a multiple-choice quiz.
Score 70%. Get the green checkmark.
Forget 70% in two months.
Repeat annually.

This is compliance theater, not training.

🔥 The ADVANCE Model

10 minutes. Active recall.
Only cards you're about to forget.
Difficulty adapts to your brain.
Intervals grow as mastery deepens.
Retain 90%+ indefinitely.
Train daily in micro-sessions.

This is learning science applied to life-safety.

CapabilityADVANCEVector SolutionsLexipol
Spaced Repetition (SRS)
Adaptive per-user difficulty
Active recall enforcement
Wrong-answer review & rationale
AI-Powered Tutor (SIGNAL)
4-mode assessment suite
Mobile-first designResponsiveResponsive
Fire + EMS in one platformSeparateSeparate
ISO PPC Documentation
Pricing transparencyEnterpriseCustom
Not a Prototype

This Is Live. Today.

ADVANCE is not a pitch deck or a roadmap. It's a production platform running real users, tracking real CE hours, and delivering real retention data right now.

736
Expert-Authored Cards
2
Verticals: Fire + EMS
4
Training Modes
90%+
Target Retention (SM-2)*

CE Hours & Session Tracking

Real CE hours from real assessments — server-side enforced, 80% pass gate.

🔒

Enterprise Security

JWT auth, CSRF protection, rate limiting, TOTP 2FA for training officers, full audit logging.

🧠

Adaptive Intelligence

SM-2 engine verified in production. Smart nudge system surfaces weakest areas and overdue reviews.

* 90%+ target retention based on published SM-2 spaced repetition methodology outcomes. Cepeda, N.J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J.T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. ADVANCE pilot data will establish department-specific retention baselines.

Start the Pilot

Know Who Is Trained. Know Who Is Not.
Fix It Before It Becomes a Problem.

30 days. Full platform access for up to 50 personnel. Dashboard, analytics, compliance reporting. Zero cost. Zero commitment. Your pilot generates a complete ISO-formatted training activity record on day one.

30

Day Free Pilot

Full platform. Real users. Real retention data. No cost, no commitment — just proof.

60

Day Retention Report

Comparative retention analysis. Documented evidence of improvement you can take to municipal leadership.

📋

ISO PPC Ready

Complete ISO-formatted training activity record generated from the pilot. Ready for your next grading cycle.

Built From Inside the Culture

A Father and Son.
A Lifetime in Public Safety.

ADVANCE is a family company, built by a father and son with deep roots in the fire service. Andrew grew up in a household shaped by public safety — the discipline, the culture, the duty, the sacrifice. Alex spent 35 years inside that world as a firefighter, Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director, and Chief Operating Officer.

This platform wasn't conceived in a boardroom or a pitch competition. It was built by people who understand what first responders carry — and who believe they deserve training infrastructure that actually works.

Andrew Cohilas, Founder of ADVANCE

Andrew Cohilas

Founder & Developer

Andrew grew up in a fire service family — shaped from an early age by the culture, discipline, and duty that define public safety. His father Alex spent decades as a firefighter, Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director, and Chief Operating Officer. That foundation is the reason ADVANCE exists.

After five years as an Arabic Cryptologic Linguist in the United States Marine Corps — including a combat deployment to Al Anbar Province during Operation Iraqi Freedom — Andrew left active duty as a credentialed Command Language Program Manager, having overseen training programs for roughly 120 Marine linguists. He watched firsthand how mission-critical knowledge decays when training infrastructure fails.

For the decade that followed, he delivered technical training for the U.S. Department of State across Africa, Europe, and the Indian Ocean region — biometric border management at airports, land borders, and seaports where operational failure wasn't an option. He trained over a thousand host-nation officers across dozens of deployments. He watched the same retention failure repeat itself in every domain.

ADVANCE exists because he got tired of watching mission-critical knowledge erode — and because he grew up understanding exactly what's at stake when it does.

Alex Cohilas, Director of Public Safety Partnerships at ADVANCE

Alex Cohilas

Director of Public Safety Partnerships

Alex brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in fire and emergency services. A former Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director, and Chief Operating Officer, he has overseen multi-agency public safety operations spanning fire, EMS, law enforcement, and emergency management.

Throughout his career, Alex has built a reputation for trusted leadership, strategic coordination, and strong relationships across the public safety community. His extensive network and firsthand operational experience allow him to connect agencies with solutions that improve emergency response, communication, and preparedness.

At ADVANCE, Alex leads public safety partnership development and serves as a key liaison between the organization and fire service professionals, municipal leaders, and emergency management stakeholders. His deep understanding of the challenges facing first responders helps ensure ADVANCE delivers solutions grounded in real-world operational needs.