National Range Officers Institute’s Training And Outreach Plan 2025

Recently, some deficiencies in NROI outreach and training methods have been noted. This article is in reply to those items and will provide suggested improvements and additions to the National Range Officers Institute’s training and outreach endeavors. Please note that many of these ideas are proposals at present and may not include details on execution, since they are in the planning stages.

NROI’s expectation is that most, if not all, of these proposals will be in operation by the end of 2025. Some financial and time resources may be required to facilitate execution of some projects, while others may be efficiently and inexpensively enacted in the near future.

It’s also important to note that NROI has increased its outreach in several areas, through the efforts of myself, Jodi Humann and Kevin Imel. Specific areas are Practiscore Training, NROI Tips, NROI Blog, the NROI Podcast and efforts to advertise and improve communication through the NROI Facebook page.

We also review and sanction major USPSA matches, providing advice on stages and ways to correct or improve them rather than provide notice that the stage isn’t legal. Maintaining the certified ammunition listings and reporting to vendors, certifying targets for official use and approving firearms for the USPSA Production and Carry Optics lists are additional DNROI/ADNROI job responsibilities, as well as providing answers to member questions and maintaining an annual rules audit file—almost exclusively based on member input.

The below listed items are general ideas, with specific areas outlined.

• General Membership Outreach and Training
• Continuing Education for Certified Range Officials
• Improvements in Communication Mentorship
• Problem Reporting
• Expand Available Training
  • Additional endorsement opportunities
  • • Stats
    • Chronograph
  • Match Director certification
  • Train the trainer for mentors

MENTORSHIP

• Local Mentors
  • How to vet and train?
    • Recommendations
    • Recognized excellence
    • Educational experience
    • Review panel
    • Annual performance review (criteria TBD)

• How to implement
  • Member survey regarding problem areas.
  • Initial training, rules focused, with ability to advance issues upward, if needed.
  • What certification level? Range Master and Chief Range Officer.
  • We will have to do "train the trainer" presentations, which should be in-person.
• Areas of training/mentorship?
  • General rules issues.
  • Philosophy and benefits of USPSA affiliation.
  • Policies regarding classifiers, score upload and payment.
• Address problems: Club/section liaison for rules issues.
• Will require some financial resources for travel.
• Initially on a section basis, but possibly Area if the area is relatively small geographically.

KEEPING RANGE OFFICIALS UP TO DATE

• Continuing education
  • In addition to testing annually.
  • Frequency TBD, at minimum semi-annual, but quarterly preferred.
  • Work history a consideration.
  • Available to all members, not just NROI-certified, but no certification implied.
• Mass email communications. No opt-in. If you are certified, you get sent an email unless state law prevents it
• Increase reach of the NROI.org blog and podcast.
  • Continuous reminders in the news brief.
  • Occasional mass email.
  • Social media promotion.
• Create an Range Officer Excellence report form for outstanding service.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH AND TRAINING

• Survey the membership in general to ascertain desired training/outreach activity.
• Produce additional Range Officer Tips and other videos illustrating not only rules, but other aspects of USPSA, including match production, stats, etc.
  • Available to all, published on USPSA, SCSA and NROI pages, as well as USPSA YouTube and Vimeo pages.
  • Update as needed for rules changes
• Assist in the production and update of a USPSA Club Manual.
• Access to LMS-type modules without quizzes or testing—informational only and doesn't confer any certification.
  • Suggest existing modules on scoring methods and types of courses to begin.
  • Range commands, divisions, procedurals and DQs.
  • Move the "how to score" portion of the presentation to the LMS and put that out as well, (how to call, record and correct/change scores).
  • Make the Practiscore training available to all (currently member only) including updates to PS 2.
  • Updated equipment information to reflect current division rules.
    • Pictures, video and illustrations.
  • Range Etiquette, basic dos and don'ts.
  • Quarterly zoom meetings with mentors (Range Masters and vetted Chief Range Officers) for updates and discussions, including any issues seen or received as not following the rules.
  • Operational basics and best practices.
  • Facilitate mentors working with clubs on any reported problem areas, with NROI and USPSA support.
• Increase the number of seminars available for certification.
  • May require adding instructor financial resources required.
  • NROI-hosted seminars in each USPSA Area.
  • Reduced-price seminars as incentive for maintaining affiliation.
  • Annual NROI Academy in major activity areas, to include instructor conference.
  • Maintain standards of training commensurate with other safety-oriented training specific to firearms use and continually update the in-person presentations to reflect those standards.
  • Utilize our LMS system to its full extent to provide pre-seminar and auxiliary training to enhance the in-person experience.

PROBLEM REPORTING

• Create a general reporting form for anonymous reporting of club, range officer or member issues.
  • Investigated by an impartial volunteer team formed from RMI, RM and CRO mentors.
    • DNROI facilitates but does not participate in investigation.
  • Intercede with coaching and counseling as needed, but any disciplinary action may be bumped up to the discipline committee for recommendations/action.
  • Report all complaints and resolutions to the USPSA Board of Directors as completed.
• Inform the USPSA membership of the NROI policies and procedures as published on the USPSA website.
• Retain the formal Range Officer Discipline Policy.
  • DNROI facilitates—but does not participate—in investigation.

METRICS AND REPORTING

• Periodic reports on certifications and non-certifications.
• Report on non-acceptance to NROI Range Master or RMI programs.
• Periodic reports on recertifications.
• Retention rate.
• Short questionnaire on reasons for not retaining certification/report.
• Podcast downloads.
• Contacts/participation on all modular training items.
• Generate monthly reports as needed on match sanction.
• Generate annual reports on certified ammunition usage (reported to vendors annually with chronograph data).
• Report as needed from mentors and informal trainers.
• Report on problem reports and disposition.
• Report on Range Official Incident Report disposition.
• Other items as specified by the USPSA Board of Directors.

Article from the March/April 2025 issue of USPSA’s magazine.