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NCAFC Chief Officer's Executive Development Program 2009
By: Kenneth Mullen, NCAFC Executive Director
Our history shows that the Institute of Government at Chapel Hill sponsored an executive development program for future fire officers titled "The Municipal Fire Administration School". The school eventually was fazed out of the Institutes course offerings leaving a gap in the training opportunities for our future leaders.
The leadership of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs recognized that the fire service needed to fill the training void left when the Institute could no longer sponsor the Fire Administration School. A committee of fire service and educational representatives were appointed by the NCAFC Board of Directors to design a program that would be beneficial to the development of our future leaders. Out of the committee's efforts came the NCAFC Chief Fire Officer's Executive Development Program. We believe that the 2009 program was the 5th offered by the Association, starting in 2001 at Brown's Summit in Greensboro, NC the week of 9/11.
A great deal of planning goes into the program. This year's program was no exception. We had great response with 60 students completing the two week course at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy. The school was held October 26 - 30, 2009 and the second and final week held Novmber30 - December 4, 2009. Records indicate this is the largest enrollment in the program's history. Thanks to those Chiefs and City Managers who had the vision to keep this program in their training budgets during difficult economic times.
Special thanks to Jeff Kimble and Dave Murphy and the UNCC program, OSFM's Tim Bradley and his staff for reviewing the program and including portions of the curriculum in the crossover document for fire officer III , the faculty and staff from the School of Government at Chapel Hill (Rick Morse, David Ammons, Bill Rivenbark, and Bob Joyce) who were gracious with their time and expertise, Drake Maynard with the Office of State Personnel , Darlene Johnson from Emergency Management, Chief Keith Harris , Chief Buddy Martinette, Chief Ron Fowler, Chief Jon Hannan and Chief Bob Parnell, and Cliff Scott with UNCC. The willingness of these professionals to take time out of their schedules to provide instruction is trumped only by their professionalism and expertise. Thank you for making the class a success.
Without the hospitality of Chief Jon Hannan and the Charlotte Fire Department it would not be possible to provide this program. The facilities are first rate and the response by Chief Kevin Gordon and his staff demonstrated professionalism and commitment to the program. Thanks to Mechelle Price and Diane Overstreet for your responsiveness to the last minute things we asked for over the course of two weeks.
A very special appreciation to Salisbury's Chief Bob Parnell and Battalion Chief David Morris for the message they delivered to the class on the events involved in the Salisbury LODD's. Their openness, their passion and their emotion can't be explained. Those who were in attendance know what I mean. We will never forget your words, your actions and your pleas. May we always remember. God Bless You for sharing.
The program would not be possible without the support of our Advisory committee. They are deliberate in planning the program and make sure that students receive information that will prepare them for the future. Be planning now for the fall 2011 session of Executive Development.
To the students, it was a pleasure to work with and meet many of you for the first time. To those reading this be assured the future of the fire service is in good hands. The future of the fire service looks good!
CONGRATULATIONS TO:
Scott Burnette, appointed as Fire Chief in Asheville, NC
Gary Whaley,
appointed as Fire Fire Chief in Goldsboro, NC
Chip Osborne,
appointed as Fire Chief in Mount Airy, NC
Phil Welch,
appointed as Fire Chief in Gastonia, NC |
Be Sure Not to Miss a Single NCAFC Communication!
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February 4-7, 2010
Mid-Winter Conference
Wrightsville Beach
February 6-10, 2010
NCFLSE Conference
Asheville
April 26-30, 2010
NC Fire Prevention School
Ft. Fisher, Kure Beach
August 11-14, 2010
Annual Conference
Raleigh Convention Center
February 3-6, 2011
Mid-Winter Conference
Concord
August 10-13, 2011
Annual Conference
Raleigh Convention Center
2011 Executive Development Program
Charlotte Fire Training Center
February 2012
Mid-Winter Conference
Location TBD
August 1-4, 2012
Annual Conference
Raleigh Convention Center
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A Message from the President
Chief Frank Burns
Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Chief's Quarterly. I hope all had a very Merry Christmas and that your 2010 is off to a great start.
We all wish to send our deepest condolences and continue to remember the family of Lieutenant Flip Kissinger of the Raleigh Fire Department and to all of those who have lost love ones during this special time of the year.
As we begin a new year, the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs Board is dedicated to serve you. We hope to make this year a prosperous year for the fire service. As Fire Chief's we must do all we can do to protect our personnel and citizens. We can accomplish this by training our personnel to be the best, implementing physical fitness programs for our member, and by supporting legislation that will require residential sprinklers. While it has been adopted by the International Code Council, we must make sure it stays in the North Carolina Building Code.
As the New Year begins we are gearing up for the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs Mid-Winter Conference. Your conference has continued to grow and we wish to thank each of you for your support of the conference - without you we would not be successful. This year's conference will be February 4-7 at Wrightsville Beach. We have some top notch speakers scheduled, and full details are available on our website (www.ncafc.com). We hope you are making plans to attend this year's conference and we are looking forward to our 2011 conference being held in Concord, home of the Coca-Cola 600.
We also want to encourage each of you to get involved with this Association. We must all work together for a common goal - to keep the fire service in North Carolina the best we can be and having other states look up to North Carolina as a leader in the fire service?
If I or any member of the board can be of assistance please let us know, and again thanks to each of you for your support of this Association. God Bless!
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Training and Certification for North Carolina Fire Officers
By: Derrick Clouston, Office of State Fire Marshal
In a continuing effort to help prepare the fire departments in our state, your many associations in conjunction with the NC Fire and Rescue Commission have completed a major project in the training and certification of officers. Previously Fire Officer I, II, and III certifications have been available through an independent study program to those who meet the standards of experience and education. Starting on in early spring 2010, these programs will be available in a direct delivery format taught by qualified instructors for those who learn better in a more traditional format.
The Officer Development and Certification program that is recognized by the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission has broad based support. Currently, this Road Map is recognized by the North Carolina Association of Fire Chief's, North Carolina Fireman's Association, North Carolina Society of Fire/Rescue Instructor's, North Carolina City and County Fire Marshal's Association, and the North Carolina Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators.
The Fire and Rescue Commission is making a comprehensive effort to reduce the redundancy in courses that are taken by identifying those programs that share common objectives with each other and meet the current edition of NFPA 1021. This allows departments to focus efforts to get training for current and future leaders within the organization to develop them before promotion. By reducing duplication in the training process, training budget dollars are maximized and this allows for participation in various other programs that will enhance the educational experience of our current and future leaders.
The current program has five basic components by which a person can become certified in Fire Officer I-IV. It is up to the individual department's leadership to determine which method or combination of methods best fit the department and the needs of its personnel. These are discussed below.
This method of completion is designed to be the distance learning model of Fire Officer I-III Certification in the state. This method has been in place for some time now and is convenient for working professionals. This method is especially helpful for those who have substantial course credit towards this certification and need an efficient way to fulfill the remaining requirements in the NFPA 1021 standard. A person requests the workbook, completes all areas of the book or submits supporting documentation of equivalency for credit to be given in a particular section or sections. The Fire Officer Ad Hoc Committee of the Certification Board then reviews this book. If the review is favorable, the candidate is able to register for the Regional Test and take the Fire Officer exam at the level they have completed.
Direct Delivery
This method of completion is designed to be the classroom-learning model of Fire Officer I-IV Certification in the state. This method will be available starting early spring 2010 for Fire Officer I, II, and III. OSFM course development staff has specifically designed these courses to meet the requirements of NFPA 1021 for Officer Development and to equip officers with the skills they need to continue improvement in the NC fire and rescue service. A person desiring to obtain certification in Fire Officer I-IV seeks the courses that are required and delivered at the local Community College.
College Credit
For those that have a degree, there is the potential to be awarded the Fire Officer certification commensurate with the degree credit that has been awarded. In other cases the coursework completed can be used to satisfy some of the objectives listed in the NFPA 1021 and the rest can be satisfied by some of the other methods even if the courses were not taken as part of a degree program.
The granting of credit for individual courses can happen in one of two ways. If the course has already been evaluated in terms of the NFPA 1021 JPR's met then the course can be found in the Course Credit Crossover Reference found in the link provided previously and then can be used to satisfy the JPR's indicated and the applicant can turn in the documentation of successful completion with the workbook. If the course has not been correlated by OSFM then the student must submit a syllabus for evaluation to the Officer Ad Hoc group of the NC Fire and Rescue Certification Board in order to receive credit. All degrees and courses must be from a school accredited by an accreditation board recognized by the US Department of Education or the American Council on Education (ACE).
The NFA has correlated many of their course offerings to the NFPA 1021 current edition and credit can be given for these courses. The eligible courses are listed in the Officer Course Credit Crossover Reference utilized by the Officer Ad Hoc group.
Chief Fire Officer Designation
The Center for Public Safety Excellence requires many of the same competencies for the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) program as those identified by the Officer Ad Hoc group at OSFM. Credit will be given for those individuals that have earned the CFO designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Credit will be given in those areas of the CFO program that meet the specific NFPA 1021 JPR's required.
Combination Method
It is important to note that combinations of all the above areas can be used to meet certification requirements in the Fire Officer Programs. If a person can show credit in any of the above areas for each of the NFPA 1021 JPR's listed on the Officer Course Credit Cross-reference and provide documentation of completion, they will be eligible to sit for the Fire Officer exam for the level they want to test at through the Regional Testing system. By cross-referencing all methods of receiving credit with the individual JPR's of the NFPA 1021 standard, the Officer Ad Hoc committee has made it simple for the student to determine what training to pursue in order to be eligible for a given level of Officer Certification.
Editor's Note: This is the most extensive review of fire officer certification in North Carolina since the inception of the program. The committee listened and responded to the concerns of many regarding fire officer certification in North Carolina. Thanks to all those who worked on the review team.
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News from the Residential Sprinkler Front
From: Alan Perdue
October 29, 2009
Gentlemen,
If you have not heard the fire service turned out in record numbers in our effort to maintain and add safety provisions within the ICC International Residential Code. It was truly a tipping point in our journey.
I would like to personally thank your organizations for helping us get the word out along with each person from NC that took part in any way in helping to achieve our goal. I am working to obtain the final numbers on NC participants and will get that to you upon receipt. Like it states below we have a lot of work to do to bring the action to our local communities but I know the NC Fire Service is up to the challenge.
We Won. . . Again!!!
Words cannot describe how great it feels to have won the sprinkler vote again in Baltimore. Even better, to our surprise, we won the committee vote by a margin of 7 to 4. EVERY member of the IRC Committee not representing NAHB voted in favor of sprinklers!
ICC's message to residential sprinkler opponents is now very clear, "don't come back. . .we're done arguing residential sprinklers!"
We won in Minneapolis, we won the committee vote in Baltimore and we defeated (by an overwhelming majority) a floor motion by NAHB to overturn the committee vote in Baltimore. Let's maintain this level of commitment at the state and local level so that we can get the IRC adopted "where the rubber meets the road."
On behalf of Chief Coleman and the entire IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition, thanks to EVERYONE who took part in and supported this historic event!!!
Jeffrey M. Shapiro, P.E., FSFPE
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