2010 Chiefs Leadership Program

This program runs from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. It is comprised of four classes that create an all-day preconference session geared towards chief officers and those aspiring to become chief officers. You will have the opportunity to sharpen your leadership skills and connect with others from around the country. Program subject to change.

July 21, 2010
8:00 AM	Effective Delegation within the Contemporary Fire Department  Robert Fleming, Ed.D., CFPS, CFO, Prof of Mgmt, Rowan University Battalion Chief, Goshen Fire Company Fire chiefs today face an array of challenges in their pursuit to ensure that their departments succeed in effectively, efficiently and safely delivering the services required to address the needs of the communities they serve.�� The successful fire chief must learn how to effectively delegate to others.�� This session will examine the delegation process, centralization versus decentralization, importance of delegation, benefits of delegation, consequences of ineffective delegation, situations where delegation is appropriate, obstacles to effective delegation, and criteria for selecting subordinates for delegation assignments.
8:00 AM	How to Read Tea Leaves: Situational Awareness Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, CEM, Deputy Chief , Department Operations and Broward County Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL This presentation examines how we teach situational awareness and heightened sensitivity to environmental threats and risks both on the fireground and in the chief officer's world. Aviators and warriors often are taught situational awareness in flight and battle, however, do we teach our firefighters these same skills for survival? The presentation will expand on how these same skills allow a chief to navigate and successfully survive the potential landmines of politics, budgets, labor management relations and other roadblocks to organizational success.
8:00 AM	Overcoming Resistance to Change within Your Fire Department Robert Fleming, Ed.D., CFPS, CFO, Prof of Mgmt, Rowan University Battalion Chief, Goshen Fire Company Contemporary fire and emergency service organizations face many challenges as a result of the dynamic environment in which they operate.�� One of the greatest challenges is the desire to maintain tradition at all costs and resist anything that is new or different.�� This session will prepare participants to function as effective change agents within their departments by identifying the reasons that individuals, groups, and organizations resist change and providing proven strategies for overcoming resistance to change.
8:00 AM	Staying Alive, Staying Alive, Staying Alive J. Gordon Routley, Division Chief, Montreal FD, Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, CEM, Deputy Chief Fire Rescue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL A sobering yet energizing call to arms of American fire service line of duty deaths most recently from Charleston where Routely chaired the review, but more globally of the fire service. The presentation will be a hard hitting review of most preventable areas of death and serious injury that continue to plague the service and claim its members. The presentation will use actual dramatic footage and circumstances that claimed members and how others should pledge not to succumb to similar circumstances. The attendees albeit line firefighters, trainers or chiefs should anticipate a hard charging call to action to change the culture of the fire service.