February 21st – 22nd (0800hrs – 1700hrs)
Friday Morning
Next Level Recruit Training
Reggie McKnight
Politics have forced fire departments to place quantity over quality and the training bureaus are left to pick up the pieces. The recruit level is the foundation of a firefighter’s career. There should be unlimited resources given to a recruit training program to ensure that the foundation of each recruit is so strong that it allows the department to continue to mold and shape that firefighter throughout their career. As the world continues to rapidly change so is the fire service but that doesn’t mean we should abandon the core values of what it means to be a firefighter and what it takes to be a firefighter.
This lecture will cover many areas of a recruit training program and how to extend that program into the probationary year. We will discuss physical fitness, firefighter discipline, instructor selection, instructor development, recruit selection, recruit development and curriculum development. A recruit training program is not enough there must be a probationary program that evaluates the progression of each recruit that graduates to probationary firefighter, this will also be discussed to shed light on the importance of continuing education and improving skill sets from just an awareness level to a competency level.
Learning Objectives
- How to develop a recruit training program.
- How to select the correct individuals to lead a recruit training program.
- How to implement physical fitness and gear acclimation for new firefighters/recruits.
- How to cultivate the mindset of recruits.
- How to develop a probationary firefighter training program.
Friday Afternoon
Preparing for Mayday: Are you ready?
Joe Minehan
This is not a strategy class, but rather a proactive approach to Mayday response and prevention: including a look at root causes, NIOSH commonalities, common fireground mistakes and post Mayday considerations.
Joe Minehan is a 5th generation firefighter with roots in the City of Boston dating back to the 1870’s.
He has been a firefighter for 24 years working up through the ranks and currently serves as a District Chief in Boston’s Allston/Brighton neighborhood.
Losing his father in the line of duty in a warehouse fire in 1994 instilled in him the importance of RIT/ Firefighter Safety and Survival Skills and Mayday awareness and prevention.
Saturday Morning
Danny’s Story
Clyde Gordon
Danny’s Story presents real-life experiences and leadership mistakes that lead to a Line of Duty Death (LODD). As a young officer, I was confronted many times with employee issues; however, only one still impacts me today. Common everyday circumstances and my unwillingness to confront unpreparedness (his years in the fire service, knowing and having great respect for his father, also a firefighter within the department, etc.), my lack of experience as a leader, coupled with a mindset of “he’s transferring somewhere slow anyway” and “someone else can train him again” led to an unfortunate situation where a life was lost because of being unprepared for the fire ground.
Members are presented with personal experience of:
- lessons learned in both the successes and failures of leading a crew
- the changes and growth I endured that refocused me from Officer to Servant Leader
- how easily things can go wrong when performance issues aren’t confronted and corrected
- realizing that because I hadn’t dealt with the problem immediately, instead ‘kicked the can down the road’, and even though the LODD didn’t occur on my watch, I was a key player in the overall unpreparedness
Even today, this remains a common problem in the fire service – inexperienced officers and firefighters not concerned with training or keeping in a state of readiness. The situation I experienced as a new, young officer is still prevalent in almost every fire house in the country. Complacency and incompetence have no place in the fire service, yet it is rampant. This class gives members the tools to recognize the importance of being prepared and preparing those around them and under their command for that one moment in time when they are called upon to do what only they can do as a firefighter, and it reminds of our true purpose of making a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Saturday Afternoon
Leadership From the Bottom Up!
Dr. Candace Ashby (Battalion Chief, Indianapolis Fire Department)
Micromanagement, lack of direction, poor communication, and no accountability can lead to low morale, lack of trust, and complacency issues which leave most people feeling tired, frustrated, and stressed.
This fun and engaging personal leadership development class is designed to be a swift kick in the ass whether you are a new hire or 40+ year Fire Chief! No matter your time or rank or type of department, if you truly love this job, you will walk away from this class fired up to help bring positive change!
This no-nonsense lecture discusses real issues plaguing the fire service along with tactics on how to improve communications, build morale, increase productivity, enhance innovation, and provide better customer service! Warning: This is not your typical leadership class or for the faint of heart.