Newsletter February 2015

CPSE’s biggest event of the year is fast approaching. The 2015 Excellence Conference, slated for March 17-20, at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, is shaping up to be our largest conference ever. With more than 280 registrants expected to arrive, there will be unprecedented networking opportunities throughout the week. Senior fire/rescue officers, accreditation managers and team members will benefit from more than 72 hours of educational sessions, exhibits by leading companies providing technology and services for fire and rescue departments, and great social opportunities. There are a few attendee slots still open for those interested in attending. Complete registration details are available on the conference website. Special thanks this year to these companies who are sponsoring the 2015 Excellence Conference:

• Esri
• Emergency Reporting
• FireHouse Software
• Intterra Group
• Deccan International
• Stats FD
• Power DMS
• International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
• Columbia Southern University

by Linda Cochrane

If one was to ask a fire chief or accreditation manager about the significance of accreditation, they may be able to provide a list of benefits that accreditation can bring to a department. But ask them the question why City Managers, Board members, Politicians or Senior Administrators would be interested in accreditation and the response may take a little longer. They may recognize that it’s valuable to have their administrators onboard to support changes and resources needed to achieve or maintain accreditation but they may not know how their administrators view accreditation or why they support it.

Municipal Administrators are always looking for programs that ensure systems meet or exceed accepted standards while allowing them to serve in a supporting or oversight role; rather than a leading one. The notion of a higher order of standard for any of its services helps an Administration build a sense of assurance and comfort for its citizens. The establishment of lofty goals sets an organization apart from the rest. Independent or third party verification ensures accountability while safeguarding against risk of biases. The results of these systems instill confidence with elected officials.

For our fire service, CFAI accreditation is a good fit. It holds the service accountable and verifies that what it reports is accurate while pushing for continual improvement. It fits well with our goal of building a great city; by having a great fire service, with great response plans and the ability to take care of its citizens in times of stress. For our municipality, this is fundamental. City Council is aware of the accreditation and recognizes, through third party verification, that its fire service is managed in a thoughtful and professional manner.

In our role as representatives of the citizens, accreditation ensures our city’s emergency response services and prevention activities are not only well managed and meeting expectations but are continually assessed.

Linda Cochrane is a Commissioner on the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). She is the General Manager of Community Services for the City of Edmonton, Alberta. She leads more than 5,000 employees in six distinct lines of business: Fire Rescue Services, Community Recreation and Facilities, Project Management and Maintenance Services, Community Strategies and Development, Neighborhoods, Parks and Community Recreation, and Community Standards. She leads the department to be a front-line partner with citizens and communities to create a safe, healthy and vibrant city.

Linda has earned Master’s Degrees from the University of Alberta in Arts and Business Administration.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is home to innovative training workshops designed specifically for fire and emergency service agencies. Created to aid emergency service personnel in achieving continuous quality improvement, our workshops are held at a variety of locations across the United States and internationally.

These workshops are now recognized by the International Code Council’s (ICC) Preferred Provider Program. The Program recognizes and promotes educational courses offered by a variety of education providers. It also provides an effective means to earn continuing education units for renewal of ICC certifications.

CPSE’s Basic Workshop Series and Data Analysis and Presentation Using Excel Class are included in the recognition.

The Basic Workshop Series includes two workshops held over three days. The 16-hour Self-Assessment workshop assists fire and emergency service leaders in preparing for and working toward accreditation through a unique self-assessment model. This workshop provides valuable information on conducting an agency self-assessment and how to prepare for an on-site peer assessment visit. The 8-hour workshop Community Risk/Standards of Cover workshop equips fire service personnel with the tools to rationally plan for and justify various levels of service. The workshop provides an overview of resource deployment planning, community risk analysis, and the latest processes for mapping deployment and deployment coverage areas.

The Data Analysis and Presentation Using Excel Class held over three days, aims to give fire officers a comprehensive understanding of the popular analytic and statistical tools available to the fire service which are especially useful in Standards of Cover. The curriculum is designed to introduce some basic statistical concepts that are reinforced with actual fire service data. The data is analyzed by the students using Microsoft Excel tools that are introduced during the class. Students gain a new perspective on basic statistics and knowledge of Excel tools to use in their analyses and practice using both theoretical and practical analytic approaches to their own fire departments’ data and experiences. This class is created in cooperation with FireStats, LLC.

Jason Jenkins, CFO

Jason Jenkins, CFO was recently promoted to deputy fire chief for Fairfax County Fire Department, Fairfax, VA.

Jenkins began his career as a recruit firefighter in February 1997, and initially was assigned to Fire and Rescue Station 22 in Springfield. In his new role, Jenkins will manage the daily activities of the fire chief’s office and represent the chief at internal and external high-profile venues. He will manage strategic departmental initiatives that have countywide impact.

Jenkins will oversee and direct the activities of the Public Affairs and Life-Safety Education Division and the department’s community-outreach events. He also will oversee various personnel on long-term assignments with federal agencies and manage the department’s Awards Committee and Honor Guard.

Chief Jenkins has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in fire-service administration, is a graduate of Leadership Fairfax and has been awarded the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation. Jason is a board member of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, and chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Fire Chiefs’ Emergency Medical Services subcommittee.

George “Buddy” Emerson, CFO, FM

Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Buddy Emerson, CFO, FM, has been named the next Fire Chief of St. Lucie County, FL. Chief Emerson will succeed retiring Fire Chief Ron Parrish, CFO.

Emerson currently heads the Fire Prevention Bureau, Buildings and Grounds, Logistics, and Public Records divisions. The Fire Prevention Bureau handles plans review, inspections, fire investigations, and public education for the Fire District.

He holds a Master’s of Sscience degree in executive fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and holds dual designations as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) and Fire Marshal (FM) through the Commission on Professional Credentialing.

On Friday February 22, Preet Bassi, CPSE CEO, and Debbie Sobotka, CPSE Deputy Director/CPC Program Director, attended the Virginia Consortium meeting held in conjunction with Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Annual Conference. Battalion Chief Jason Campbell, Lynchburg, IL, led the meeting and invited CPSE staff to provide corporate updates to the approximately 15 attendees.

The group had many questions about the reimagining process and provided excellent suggestions on how to enhance the accreditation and credentialing processes. Many of the group members were CFAI peer assessors and CPC peer reviewers. The opportunity to gather their feedback given the multiple roles they hold within the CPSE community was invaluable.

Accredited agencies and credentialed professionals have found that banding together to form regional consortiums is an effective networking opportunity. Through the important work of these consortiums agencies and individuals that are new to CPSE programs gain local support in gaining and maintaining accreditation and/or designation. Of the fourteen consortiums in existence, some have been long-established while others are early in the development stage. CPSE staff looks forward to attending at least one of each consortium meeting in-person during 2015.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in getting a consortium started in your area, contact Karl Ristow at kristow@cpse.org for assistance.

REGISTER for an upcoming E-Delivery Session.

• Leading Organizations Through Change

  April 2, 2015; 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EDT

  The fire service is changing at an exponential rate. As our communities, stakeholders, and members change so must fire service organizations. In this session we will discuss successful leadership strategies to effect change at all levels of your organization.

  Instructor – Assistant Chief Jacob McAfee, CFO, West Point Fire and Emergency Services

• Risk, Controlling Your Gameboard: Understanding Risk Analysis Connection to Resource Deployment

  April 16, 2015; 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EDT

  This session will help clarify the connection between a department’s risk analysis and how they deploy their resources. The information will help to better explain how a department can utilize the data and information from the risk analysis to justify not only their current deployment but possible future deployment needs.

  Instructors – Chief Jim White, CFO, Winter Park Fire Department and Chief Scott Avery, Olivette Fire Department

• Technical Competency – Writing to Achieve Designation

  May 12, 2015; 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

  As you begin working on your application for designation, are you feeling overwhelmed by the technical competency component? Completing this section of the application is not as difficult as it appears. Whether seeking Chief Fire Officer, Chief EMS Officer, Chief Training Officer, Fire Marshal, or Fire Officer designation, this session is for you. The webinar will give the student a better understanding of the elements to consider when writing the experience narratives of the technical competencies as they relate to the learning content.

  Instructor – Mr. Rick Mason, CFO, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

• The First Year as a Newly Promoted Chief Officer

  May 19, 2015; 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EDT

  This session focuses on the first year as a chief officer from the standpoint of a systematic approach to learning and assessing a department and using basic strategic planning principles to help a new officer effect change while gaining acceptance.

  Instructor – Chief Steve Pegram, CFO, Goshen Township Fire & EMS

• Community Risk & Standards of Cover – What Drives Your Business?

  June 3, 2015; 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EDT

  The fire service is in the emergency incident probability and consequence business. What will likely happen in your community; where will it occur; and how bad could it be? In this session attendees will learn the importance of performing a Community Hazards and Risk Assessment, the importance of knowing how, where, and how reliable your current community is covered. It will also address the impact that your community’s emergency response resources and deployment methods have on risk.

  Instructor – Chief Rick Fagan, CFO, Technical Advisor Director, CPSE

Cost for each 90 minute session – $100; Cost for each 60 minute session – $50

Even if you can’t attend the live session we can provide you with a copy to watch at your convenience!

CPSE has several workshops scheduled for the next few months. Register today to reserve your seat at the workshop that meets your needs. Please pass these dates and locations on to your colleagues at adjacent fire departments to help us promote attendance at all workshops.

For course details and registration, go to: www.cpse.org/news/upcoming-workshops-events.aspx.

March 17, 2015
2015 CPSE Excellence Conference
Orlando, FL

March 23, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Springfield, MO

March 23, 2015
DoD Only: Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Navy Region, JAPAN

March 24, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Barrie, ON Canada

March 30, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Brentwood, TN

April 02, 2015
Leading Organizations Through Change
E-delivery

April 10, 2015
CFAI Peer Assessor Workshop – April 2015

April 14, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Columbus, GA

April 16, 2015
Risk: Controlling Your Game Board: Understanding Risk Analysis’ Connection to Resource Deployment
E-Delivery

April 20, 2015
Data Analysis & Presentation Using Excel
Bensenville, IL

April 21, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Seaside, CA

April 27, 2015
Data Analysis & Presentation
Concord, NC

May 04, 2015
DoD Only: Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Ft. Leavenworth, KS

May 04, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Manassas Park, VA

May 06, 2015
Data Analysis & Presentation
Iowa City, IA

May 11, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Dayton, OH

May 11, 2015
Self Assessment and Community Risk/SOC
Virginia Beach, VA

May 11, 2015
Data Analysis & Presentation
Orlando, FL

May 12, 2015
Technical Competency – Writing to Achieve Designation
E-Delivery

May 14, 2015
Credentialing: A Pathway to Personal & Professional Experience
Dayton, OH

May 15, 2015
Nurturing Fire Service Leaders Through Mentoring
Dayton, OH

May 19, 2015
The First Year as a Newly Promoted Chief Officer
E-Delivery