Who can attend Instructor Day?

This session is invitation-only for volunteers and assistant instructors who have already helped run an LFL class; invitations are issued by Live Fire Learning staff.

Do I need to bring my own firearm or ammo?

Volunteers may be asked to use their own firearm and ammunition for the live-fire run-through; check the roster message for specific equipment requests.

Is there an age minimum?

Age restrictions are set by the organizer; confirm your eligibility with the Live Fire Learning contact on your invitation before attending.

What happens if weather is bad?

Range leadership will communicate cancellations or schedule changes in advance; the site benefits from generally dry Southern California weather but safety takes priority.

Are eye and ear protection provided?

Some PPE may be available, but volunteers are expected to bring their preferred fitting protection for comfort and consistency.

Is parking available at the meeting address?

Yes; volunteers stage gear from vehicles (the program references equipment coming out of the Subie), so plan to park and help with gear unload on arrival.

LFL Instructor Day: Volunteer & Staff Live-Fire Training in Sylmar, CA

At the edge of the northern San Fernando Valley, LFL Instructor Day — Volunteer & Staff Training gathers the volunteer crew that keeps Live Fire Learning operating. This invitation-only, half-day course is held at the range at 15018 Bailey Rd, Sylmar, CA 91342, USA, and it reads like a field manual brought to life: standardized procedures, hands-on craft, and a chance to shoot through every curriculum exercise so every instructor knows the work from the student's perspective. The day is built around precise, repeatable processes. Key features include step-by-step range setup and teardown, the cardboard target stands made from 1x2 lumber with shims, live-fire drills, and clearly defined range commands and emergency procedures. Those simple details—how tight a shim should be, where a bench is staged, how targets rotate—are what make classes run smoothly and safely. You’ll move through a planned itinerary: gear unload and staging, a walk-through of layout SOPs, a lesson on class flow and coaching standards, and a live-fire run-through that puts instructors in students' shoes. The site’s max group size is 12, so instruction stays focused and interactive. Expect a mix of classroom-style explanation and practical bench time where you’ll physically erect stands, manage gear transitions, and fire each exercise under staff supervision. Why this matters for the local outdoor and shooting community: Live Fire Learning emphasizes reproducible, safety-driven instruction that raises the baseline for range operations across Southern California. In a region where public ranges can be crowded and variable, a volunteer corps trained to the same SOPs improves both safety and student experience. The Sylmar location’s easy access from the surrounding valley means volunteers from Los Angeles and nearby communities can participate without an overnight stay. Practical details: the session lasts about 4-5 hours and includes a lunch break—bring your own or coordinate. The program is English-language and invitation-only; if you’re on the roster, arrive prepared to participate fully: you’ll help build, instruct, shoot, and pack out. This is a day for people who care about the mechanics of teaching firearms skills—precise, methodical, and a little like tuning a machine so it performs the same way every time. It’s also a social day: a chance to sharpen skills, swap tips, and leave better prepared to run calm, efficient classes that keep students safe and confident. On the range you'll see the small tradecraft that matters: benches aligned to lanes, target frames braced with shims, ammo staged in labeled crates, and clear command lines for movement. Trainers drill verbal clarity—standard commands repeated until they become reflex—and redundancy in checks so nothing is left to chance. That discipline speeds teach-to-fire cycles and reduces disruptions, making classes more welcoming for new shooters. The site sits under the lower slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, so the backdrop is suburban foothill rather than deep wilderness; weather is usually dry and warm, which helps predictability. For volunteers, Instructor Day is a skills clinic and cultural orientation: you learn a shared vocabulary, precise choreography for transitions, and why consistency is the most effective safety tool on the line today.

LFL Instructor Day: Volunteer & Staff Live-Fire Training in Sylmar, CA

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