2010 Preconference

FIREHOUSE EXPO 2011 WILL TAKE PLACE JULY 19-23 IN BALTIMORE, MD. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR EVENT DETAILS.

CLICK HERE FOR A 4-PAGE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE.

Program subject to change.

July 21, 2010
8:00 AM	Chiefs Leadership Program Overcoming Resistance to Change within Your Fire Department Robert Fleming, Ed.D., CFPS, CFO, Professor of Management, Rowan University and 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. Effective Delegation within the Contemporary Fire Department Robert Fleming, Ed.D., CFPS, CFO, Professor of Management, Rowan University and 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. How to Read Tea Leaves: Situational Awareness Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, CEM, Deputy Chief of 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. Staying Alive, Staying Alive, Staying Alive J. Gordon Routley, Division Chief, Montreal FD; Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, CEM, Deputy Chief of Department Operations and Broward County Sheriff's Office 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.
8:00 AM	PRE1: Fire Behavior & Firefighter Survival John W. Norman III, Deputy Assistant Chief (ret.), Rescue Operations, FDNY 4-Hour Class This class is intended to keep your firefighters from repeating the same deadly mistakes others have made, so they can avoid the tragedies that others have suffered. It focuses heavily on the changes occurring in today's modern fire environment, and includes segments on the following: changing causes of firefighter deaths and injuries, the changing fire environment and its effect on firefighters, warning signs of impending firefighter casualties, and prevention of catastrophes.
8:00 AM	PRE7: The Fire Station Pyramid of Success -- How to Achieve Genuine, Lasting Success at Your Work and in Your Life Mark Emery, Battalion Chief, Woodinville, WA Fire & Life Safety District 4-Hour Class You can choose to have a ��championship�� career, family, and life. All need to do is choose; choose to begin building your Fire Station Pyramid of Success. Leadership and ��success�� has little to do with your arm patch, your rank, your combat experience, or how much money you have. The success of your life -- and your fire station -- has everything to do with you. Based on the original Pyramid of Success developed by coaching legend John Wooden, the Fire Station Pyramid of Success will help you discover the ��peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have done your best to become the best you are capable.�� By attending The Fire Station Pyramid of Success you will Discover: the true meaning of ��Success; ��how Attitude is the foundation of personal and professional Leadership; that Character, supported by Attitude, is essential for developing legitimate Leadership; that Preparation -- mental, emotional, and physical -- is essential for establishing your legacy of Leadership Excellence; how the combination of Attitude, Character, and Preparation will help you achieve and maintain authentic Poise and Confidence; why Skill -- rock‐solid fundamentals -- will serve as the heart of your Leadership Legacy; how the Fire Station Pyramid of Success will help you achieve --and maintain -- Personal and Professional Excellence; and how to achieve genuine, lasting Success at your fire station and in your life. BONUS: You will receive a free Fire Station Pyramid of Success PowerPoint and a nifty Pyramid of Success wallet card. The Fire Station Pyramid of Success features and benefits: 1. How attitude will establish the foundation that will support your leadership. 2. How character, supported by attitude, is essential for developing genuine leadership. 3. Why preparation��mental, physical and emotional��is essential for establishing a legacy of leadership excellence. 4. Why skill - rock-solid fundamentals - will serve as the heart of your fire station leadership. 5. How attitude, character, and preparation will help you achieve and maintain genuine poise and confidence ("Command Presence."). 6. How to use the Fire Station Pyramid of Success to achieve and maintain personal and professional leadership. 7. How to leave a legacy of personal and professional excellence in your life and in your fire station. BONUS: Students will receive a free Fire Station Pyramid of Success PowerPoint to share with their fire department.
1:00 PM	PRE2: 5 Point Size-Up: The Size-Up for First Arriving Officers and Firefighters Robert Pressler, Lieutenant (ret.), FDNY 4-Hour Class Based on the theory that the commonly used 13 point size-up is too difficult for the first arriving companies to deal with while initiating an attack, this 5 point size-up is geared to the first arriving officers and companies. This size-up uses the acronym "BELOW" as an easy to remember reference to the 5 individual points. The size up addresses Building construction, Extent and location of the fire by reading fire and smoke conditions, Ladder Company operations focusing on life, Occupancy of the fire building and lastly Water supply and Engine Company operations. By using this size-up, company officers lay the foundation for a smoother running operation by identifying and prioritizing the initial operations on the fire ground.
1:00 PM	PRE3: Firefighting Operations in Garden Apartments and Townhouses Robert Moran, Chief, Englewood, NJ FD, John Lewis, Lieutenant, Training & Safety Div., Passaic, NJ 4-Hour Class Fires in garden apartments and townhouses are unlike any other structure fire we respond to -- the complex of buildings, the interconnected structures , the lack of access to all sides of the structure all play a role in altering our normal structure fire strategy and tactics. This program takes an in-depth look at the fire problems associated with these structures as well as size-up, safety, pre-planning and fire attack methods.
1:00 PM	PRE4: International Association of Fire Chiefs - Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting John Sullivan, Deputy Chief, Worcester FD, Worcester, MA 4-Hour Class In 2001, the Safety and Health committee of the IAFC published the landmark document 10 Rules of Engagement for Structural Fire Fighting. Recently, the IAFC's Safety, Health and Survival section undertook a dramatic revision of this initiative. This provocative guide establishes the fundamental "rules" upon which fireground decisions should be made at all levels when dealing with structure fires. The basis for these rules are designed to preserve the standard fireground priorities of life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation, and at the same time, establishing a framework for incident commanders to give weighted consideration to firefighter safety through a clear process of risk assessment. This interactive lecture will utilize real fireground scenarios to illustrate and discuss how the rules of engagement can be utilized by all firefighters on scene to promote rational decision-making and enhance firefighter safety. Building on the concepts of crew resource management and situational awareness, the "rules" can be put to practical use in the dynamic and dangerous environment of structural fire fighting. The objectives of this session are to gain a practical understanding of how to legitimately utilize the 10 Rules in both policy and practice.
1:00 PM	PRE6: How to Excel at Promotional Exams - The Personnel Counseling Session Steve Prziborowski, Battalion Chief, Santa Clara County, CA FD 4-Hour Class Attendees will learn how to succeed in the personnel counseling session. Topics include: progressive discipline, the eight steps to a successful counseling session, the four major personnel issues needed to be addressed immediately, and how to be proactive by setting up your personnel for success by establishing personnel expectations.