Tag Archives: leadership

NFIRS Data: Using Thought Leadership Media

Robert - this article is right on track. I've personally been involved in using NFIRS data to justify the need for new Stations, Rigs and Personnel. It was response time analysis that allowed us to show areas of the city where we were falling short. That data helped convince the politicians and taxpayers, both.

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Tampa II: Additional Food-for-Thought

This brings to question, are fireground officers and today’s firefighters receiving adequate training? The question remains, are proper size-ups being conducted to allow for a decision regarding whether it is an offensive or defensive fire attack [situation]? It all comes down to decision making capability and fire ground safety. We simply need to focus on the basic fundamentals of fire fighting.

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Readers Weigh-In: Why aren’t We Changing Our Ways?

If you are a fire service leader who's REALLY interested in attaining zero firefighter deaths and injuries, you must take 32+ minutes to watch this video that was produced by Dr. Burt Clark. (Dr. Clark has served the American Fire Service for 40+ years and is one of the "founding fathers" of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy, along with the now-retired Charles "Chuck" Burkell).

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A Healthy Discussion about Diversity in the Fire Service

In response my previous post, What’s Your Plan for an Inclusive and Diverse Department to Increase Service and Safety?, I received a lengthy letter from a fire service colleague that posed several thought-provoking questions. Below are the contents of that letter. (WK is the letter writer; RPA is me).

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Photographs and other imagery that predominantly portray female firefighters as sexual objects first, and firefighters second, communicates a very powerful “marketing message” whether men and women in the fire service choose to accept it or not. (Don’t think so? Just ask any marketing professional “worth their salt” what they think).

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Life After Firefighting: It’s a Matter of Time

In many cases the most important component of their treatment will involve time. The time to get a diagnosis, get the proper treatment, and recover from that treatment. A caring and empathetic manager and organization can make a world of difference, especially when an illness puts an individual’s life and career in jeopardy.

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My Body Survived My Career Because of Health and Wellness “Culture”

It seems to me that many fire and EMS organizations are a bit "Johnny-come-lately" when it comes to the health and well-being of their people, and some still have not come to the party. I was very fortunate to have spent my career with one of the organizations that‘s frequently been on the forefront of efforts to constantly make improvements for the safety, health and welfare of its people.

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