From the volunteer fire company perspective, they were getting people in and getting those folks the required training, but then they were not able to actively participate in service delivery. There was a broad-based feeling (revealed when we conducted focus groups with volunteers) that all they ever got to do was “be the backups”.
Read More »Management Sciences
Role Models: Who are yours?
I've been fortunate to have had many positive role models and mentors and colleagues during my Fire and EMS career. I'll bet you do as well. So who are they?
Read More »Communicating Organizational Knowledge to the Next Generation
So how can we in the Fire & EMS profession more proactively “capture” such knowledge before it “walks out the door” with the next retiree? Let’s take a closer look at some of our “old and reliable” information management tools: policy, procedure, and processes.
Read More »Leading, Guiding and Directing the Next Generation of Firefighters
For young people who've not previously had this degree of structure in their lives, becoming a member of a Fire and EMS organization can be a daunting challenge. We owe it to this next generation of firefighters--and to our organizations--to become better managers who effectively develop and maintain the three sides of the triangle.
Read More »Good Guys and Gals Wear a Mask–And the Rest of Their Gear
I’ve come to realize that firefighters dying in fires is our very own inconvenient truth in the fire service…In spite of all we know about fire, in spite of all of the advances that have been made in technology, in spite of all of the advances in the science of fire prevention and suppression, in spite of the billions of dollars spent—firefighters still die.
Read More »Teaching Children Not to Burn: Fire Safety Education Gets “Hands-On” Treatment
In addition to the loss of a home and favorite possessions, a fire can have a long-term negative impact on children and their families. “Not only does it lead to depression and anxiety, but it can sometimes result in post-traumatic-stress disorder,” says Russell T. Jones. Jones, a researcher at Virginia Tech, has assessed the impact of disasters on children, ...
Read More »How Prepared is Your Community to Communicate During Its Coming Crisis?
There is a lot more that can be done to use social media in a community emergency, but this should be a good “starter kit”. So what are you waiting for? Your community emergency, either man-made or naturally occurring, is “just around the corner”.
Read More »Changes and Trends in the Fire Service
Regardless if the changes arise from our people (generational differences) or new technologies or new information that changes the way we view strategy and tactics, it all comes back to how we lead and manage, doesn’t it?
Read More »Update: What I’ve Continued to Learn by Reviewing Firefighting Videos
By: Robert Avsec Note to My Readers: I first published this piece early in 2013. I think it’s pertinent to republish it–with some revisions–because I continue to see the same threats to the safety and well-being of firefighters. (I don’t think I’m alone in this assessment as I see numerous postings in other venues every day that are sounding the ...
Read More »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).
Read More »