Schedule

This class is based on a near miss that could have cost two firefighters their lives. A simple incident that started with a chair on fire lead to a fully involved basement. The firefighters were put into a situation where they were a part of the flow path. The interior crew experienced all the warning signs of high heat and low visibility. The nozzle firefighter suffered second degree burns to her neck, ears and face. The back up firefighter suffered first degree burns. Why did they stay in? This part of the lecture goes beyond strategy and tactics. They were working with a group that believed in firefighting tactics of long ago. They felt they had something to prove-something to prove, especially being women. The lessons learned go far beyond that of general fire behavior and changing tactics on the fireground. Feeling the need to prove yourself, to be aggressive could be a fatal mistake.

As more and more news organizations across the country cut staff and streamline, they will seek cost effective and simple ways to collate and distribute newsworthy items. The reality is fire departments that can produce, promote and distribute their own video, photo, audio, and written content can communicate directly with residents as well as get priority placement on digital news platforms.

Requests of the fire service have changed over the years. Fire departments are now called to serve increasingly diverse populations. Spokane Fire Department social workers delve into a program 12 years in the making, social workers embedded in the first responder network. Learn models for achieving behavior change on the client and community level including wrap around services to address frequent utilizers of emergency services, and Community Risk Reduction intervention stratgies informed by our Community Risk Assessment (CRA).

Fire Service culture is changing. The view of "be seen and not heard" is no longer accepted as a "best practice" for training and mentoring of new firefighters. Making the junior officers of today into tomorrow’s organizational leaders requires a new approach. By using "(C)ourtesy", "(P)rofessionalism", and "(R)esponsibility" we can change the culture, develop our members, and create exceptional leaders for the organization. This class will explain how this can be achieved and why C.P.R can be used effectively in the changing culture of today’s fire service.

You will always need to invest something to win the pot. If you are fortunate, the more you have to invest, the greater the reward. If you are the most fortunate, you may be able to invest an ante for someone else to win the pot. What are you doing to invest in the people that surround you for your time at work? Why is it important that you do so?

Studies show that mentorship increases employee engagement, retention, commitment and inclusion. Mentorship has contributed to the success of businesses, militaries, professional sports teams, and yes, even your local fire station. But how do you know when you are ready to be a mentor? How do you know when you need a mentor? Come learn how mentoring, championing, and investing in the future of others will develop yourself into your highest potential.

A leadership class built on the soft skills, hard skills and a “to-do” list of what I wish I would have known before I took my next promotion. The class is focused on the rank of Lieutenants and Captains. The lecture will cover the characteristics of a leader and the tips and tricks I have learned over the last 5 years as I have moved up the ranks. The lecture closes with a lengthy to-do list, stating “if you aren’t doing these things, than you are behind on your level of preparedness for the next rank”.

Culture and values have a huge impact on how people decide and which actions they take. This applies to everyone, also the fire service. When comparing LODD’s and fireground injuries, the USA lead many countries in these numbers, Germany among them. Training standards and safety regulations are undoubtedly very important for fireground safety, but they won’t be effective if we don’t apply them. So, what hinders us? This workshop will investigate some cultural and psychological aspects of safety and risk-taking propensity in the fire service. We can learn by comparing our fire service cultures and we value risk-taking or risk aversion.

Firefighter fitness has traditionally centered around strength and endurance, but have you ever thought about the mental component of fitness? For the muscle to move there needs to be a neural connection from the brain to the muscle nerve synapse where an action potential can be initiated to compel the muscle to move, lift and react to what is asked of the muscle group by the brain. The firefighter needs to develop these neural connections to move and learn a safe and effective body alignment for their optimal body structure which will reduce injuries.  A culture of optimal physical performance can emerge from the old traditions of exercise as punishment for the rookie firefighter. In the new tradition of safety where a senior firefighter can watch rookies perform exercise and correct body structural deficits that can appear with the fatigue of performance. This session will help those that are struggling to find the fitness needed for developing their inner athlete to perform as a tactical athlete.

Nearly fifty percent of the population in the United States is Women. Why does the fire service struggle to recruit and retain the right women for the job? This program will review the most current statistics of women in fire and emergency services based on data from the 2015 NFPA Needs Assessment and compare to data over the past several years. We will discuss the challenges that women face that may be different from their male counterparts. We will discuss public perception as it relates to why women don’t believe they have what it takes. The class will introduce proven strategies to recruit and retain a more diverse fire service.