officer development

Fire Officer I (40 Hours)

This course is designed for firefighters who desire promotion to the rank of company officer; for company officers determined to remain versed in essential and innovative management, leadership and human relations methods; and for training officers responsible for teaching and developing fire officers and officer candidates. Knowledge of essential firefighting skills is assumed. The course curriculum corresponds to the requirements as set forth in N.F.P.A. 1021 (Professional Qualifications) for Level I in personnel and fire ground management. The classic supervisory functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and fire ground control are discussed. The course addresses issues related to human relations such as equal opportunity employment, increased emphasis on professional development, the health and safety of the individuals within their command, and the officer’s legal responsibilities to the men and women in the department and the community they serve.

Fire Officer II (40 Hours)

This 40-hour program will direct the company officer with daily tasks he/she will encounter when responsible to supervise/manage the fellow department members in a changing environment. Students must complete the New Jersey State certified program and pass the NJ State written exam. The curriculum will cover challenges, opportunities, effective communication, roles within an organization, management, leadership, safety, construction, fire investigation, training, planning and more. The content will require the student to complete various homework assignments, participate in several group sessions and develop/assist with learning

EMS Officer I (24 Hours)

This course was designed to provide supervisors and providers, looking to progress into supervisor roles with the needed basic understanding of the EMS services from the front-line service provider into the leadership position. This course will cover EMS where we came from to where we are going, defining leadership and key points to being successful, daily operations, legal, training and safety for the organization, incident management and facing the public when necessary. This class is geared to not only the novice employee but the seasoned supervisor. 

Pre-requisite: Emergency Medical Technician or Greater, 3 years EMS Experience, ICS 200

EMS Officer II (24 Hours)

In Development**Check back soon**

Field Training Officer (8 Hours)

In Development**Check back soon**

Basic Documentation for the Officer/Supervisor (2 hours)

Course presents discussion points on the importance of proper documentation as a tool to show why decisions were made, identifying risks and protective actions, and clearly explaining the situation found and what was done on the call.

Customer Relations (2 hours) 

Life-and-death mission outcomes make the fire service the ultimate service industry.

This course offers discussion points on how customers and voters influence public perception of the department, and how to meet customer needs and form important relationships with the community.

Budgeting Basics (2 hours)

This program provides an overview of the various components and principles that go into creating a department budget and the important role of the fire officer in that process.

Ethical Issues (2 hours)

Course presents discussion points on ethical decision making and techniques for reviewing one’s own ethical foundation, as well as assessing how fire officers can set an example as leaders in the workplace.

Handling Conflicts (2 hours)

Resolving personnel issues is the most difficult part of being a company or chief officer and is a responsibility that is sometimes ignored. This course facilitates discussion about common personnel issues, steps to resolution, and the importance of differentiating friendship from supervision.

Handling Personnel Issues (2 hours)

Resolving personnel issues is the most difficult part of being a company or chief officer and is a responsibility that is sometimes ignored. This course facilitates discussion about common personnel issues, steps to resolution, and the importance of differentiating friendship from supervision.

Leadership Styles (2 hours)

In the Fire Service or EMS Service, an officer’s inability to adjust leadership styles based on situational demands and employee needs can cause declining productivity, poor morale, and sets the organization on a path for employee discontent and inefficiency.

Officers, fire and EMS, can help avoid these personnel difficulties and improve their effectiveness by understanding different leadership styles and learning to adapt to various styles based on the situational demands and employee needs. This program covers the differences between authoritative, democratic, delegate, and situational leadership styles in relation to an officer’s role with subordinates and supervisors.

Managing the Difficult Employee (2 hours) 

Course presents discussion points on working with aggressive or passive-aggressive employees, ensuring that individual and crew performance is not compromised, and minimizing the effect of negative personalities on group morale.

Media Relations: The Basics (2 hours) 

As an officer of a public service agency, you may be called upon to provide information to the media regarding emergency operations or training events. Interacting with the media is an opportunity for an officer to improve the reputation of the department, to educate the public about safe practices or department operations, and to build the trust that citizens need to have in public service agencies. This course reviews basic interview skills, the importance of providing accurate information, collaborating with other agencies, establishing relations with local media, and more. 

Professional Development (2 hours) 

Professional development should be planned out and taken seriously by fire officers, not unlike the planning and consideration that occurs on every emergency scene. A good professional development plan includes key strategies with benchmarks to measure progress.

The program discusses strategies for professional development, including the wide array of training and mentoring resources available to fire officers from within their departments, web- and classroom-based training and education, and networking opportunities throughout the fire service and beyond.

Time Management (2 hours)

In the fire service, time management requires continuous flexibility because interruptions and surprises are the norm, not the exception. This course includes discussion points on time management skills and approaches, developing good time management habits, and high-tech/low-tech time management tools.

NFA: Preparation for Initial Company Officer (16 Hours)

Covered in course will be the roles and responsibilities of a company officer, mission readiness, communications, building construction and fire behavior and incident pre-planning. 

NFA: Decision Making for Initial Company Officers (16 Hours)

This course covers integrating NIMS/ICS into fire ground operations, fire ground decision making, building construction, scene sizer ups, burn time in today's construction and Line of Duty Deaths from building collapses and fire ground decision making exercises. 

NFA: Strategies and Tactics for Initial Company Officers (16 Hours)

This program will cover the initial company officer’s initial incident command systems and sequences, fire confinement, exposure protection fire extinguishment, it will cover rescue, ventilation, support and overhaul water supply, fixed water supply protection systems and salvage during an incident 

NFA: Health & Safety Officer (16 Hours)

This course examines the Health & Safety Officer's role in identifying, evaluating, and implementing policy and procedures that affect health and safety aspects of emergency responders. Risk analysis, wellness issues, and other occupational safety issues will be the main emphasis of this course. Individuals who have department-level health and safety responsibilities should attend this course. Persons attending should have a working knowledge of the Incident Command System, applicable NFPA, OSHA, State and Local requirements and recommendations, and responsibility for setting policy for the department on such issues.

NFA: Incident Safety Officer (16 Hours)

The goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the incident Safety Officer during incidents and training evolution. 

NFA: Leadership I (12 hours)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the company officer, this course of Leadership provides the participant with basic skills and tools needed to perform effectively as a leader in the fire/ems service environment. This course addresses ethics, use and abuse of power at the company officer level, creativity in the fire/ems service and managing the multiple roles of the company officer. 

NFA: Leadership II (12 Hours)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the company officer, this course of leadership provides the participant with the skills and tools needed to perform effectively as a leader in the fire service/ems service environment. This course addresses techniques and approaches to problem-solving, identifying and assessing the needs of the officer’s company subordinates, running meeting effectively in the fire/ems environment, and decision-making for the company officer. 

NFA: Leadership III – Strategies for Supervisory Success (12 Hours)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the company officer, this course of leadership provides the participant with the skills and tools needed to perform effectively as a leader in the fire service/ems service environment. This course address when and how to delegate to subordinates, assessing personal leadership styles though additional leadership when and how to discipline subordinates and coaching/motivating techniques for the company officer. 

NFA: Shaping the Future (16 hours)

This is two-day course is designed to assist first- and second-level supervisors and Company Officers (COs) in developing knowledge and skills in contemporary approaches to organizational problem-solving.

Topics include: Use of creative approaches to identifying trends within their organizations. Applying problem-solving methodologies. The importance and application of continuous improvement within organizations. How to quantify problems and solutions. Factors in organizational and individual resistance to change. Strategies for implementing change. The course incorporates facilitated, student-centered methodologies, including lecture, small and large group activities, and individual assessments.

Developing and Implementing SOPs/SOGs - VFIS

The purpose of this seminar is to assist emergency service organizations in developing and placing into practice, standard-operating guidelines.  A number of areas where SOPs/SOGs should be considered are presented. The class instruction and discussion will allow the participants to apply the principles of developing standard operating guidelines by actually writing one or more in draft form.  Working in breakout groups, participants will get to share ideas and experiences from other emergency service organizations. Often, participants arrive with a particular area of concern and find that others also share this concern in the workshop. The breakout group sessions provide an excellent opportunity to get a handle on addressing particular areas of concern.

Managing Volunteer & Combination Emergency Service Organizations - VFIS

You can't run the volunteer/combination fire or EMS organization the way you used to! Today's emergency service organization (ESO) is simply not an "emergency response agency". Your ESO is a quasi-business requiring a number of management practices needed by all volunteer organizations, particularly regarding finance, personnel issues and planning in order to function and survive. Each ESO has a number of leadership positions to divide the work load and provide for more focus in those positions. In essence, ESOs have changed from their original mission of response to an emergency to one of identifying potential problems, planning to deal with risks, educating the public, preparing the community in the event of an emergency, and responding to manage the problem that exists. This program will provide insights into the best practices in managing your modern day ESO. The target audiences for this program are those members that currently occupy management level positions in an ESO or those who may desire to one day become part of the management function within an ESO. 

Emergency Services Organization Organizational Planning and Strategic Focus Workshop - VFIS

This program is designed to assist volunteer and combination emergency service organizations in improving their overall performance. Whether called “transformation,” “performance management,” or “strategic planning,” the development of a strategic focus is the core to long term success. Based on the VFIS text “Transforming the Volunteer Fire Service” and the VFIS “Volunteer Fire Service Strategic Focus Model,” a road map to planning and decision-making for your organization is the end result. This workshop is the core product to understand what change is needed and how to implement that change.

Risk Management in the Fire Service - VFIS

This awareness session addresses the many areas of exposure that fire service personnel, providers of pre-hospital care and patient transportation face in their day-to-day operation.  Subjects discussed include professional liability, fire suppression and rescue, report documentation, incident reports, and adherence to standing operations. Actual case scenarios will be used to highlight the importance of the topics discussed. The participant will acquire a deeper appreciation of the need to provide care according to their protocols or standing orders, scope of practice, and the present standard of care expected in their part of the world.

Emergency Service Consolidation Principles and Practices – VFIS (3 hour)

This seminar on current issues involving emergency service organization consolidations and strategic planning. These two management practices are becoming expectations of the fire and EMS system. Learn practical techniques and tools to use to understand and apply the principles and practice of Strategic Planning and Consolidation from the expert who has worked with over 200 agencies on these issues

EMS Ethics - VFIS

Abstract: “Hypochondriac, basket case, frequent flyer, and taxi run.” These words depict vivid images in our minds, but have we forgotten why we entered emergency services. Are we in this profession for the right reasons and are we doing the best job possible? Today, providers are entering the profession ill-prepared to face the “realities” of emergency services; the opinions and stereotypes that can occur.  Join us for an enlightening look at ethical issues from a different perspective, that of the patient!

­Incident Investigation – VFIS

One of the best tools that we have to enable the prevention of injuries and deaths is the investigation of all accidents that occur involving an Emergency Service Organization (ESO), regardless of whether a death, injury or serious property damage was the result.  It is in the investigation, and specifically in the information gathered during incident investigations, where we may find the solutions to many of the problems that create needless losses.

This course has been developed by members of the emergency services to assist ESOs in developing and incident investigation program and to provide resources to assist in investigating internal incidents.  The course is not limited to the investigation of vehicular incidents, although they constitute a large portion of the incidents experienced by the emergency service community. 

Financial and Reputation Management - VFIS

Almost weekly we hear or read about an emergency service organization that has experienced a theft of funds, misappropriation of funds, or some similar “fidelity” related loss.  These situations create not only a financial challenge for the organization, but present a negative image in the community.  This class has been developed to raise awareness and discuss steps that an ESO can take to help protect themselves.  This class reviews case studies and provides 10 practices for financial system management and sample policies.

Risk Management for EMS - VFIS

Today's Emergency Medical Service Leader is faced with many administrative responsibilities. Much of this work involves reducing overhead costs, preventing injuries and protecting the people who do the job. This course was developed to help the emergency serviced manager understand the principles of loss control programs. This risk management program introduces a systematic method that helps the user investigate and identify problem areas and provides for the ability to implement a loss control program based on the loss control principles that will reduce unnecessary damage, injury and overhead costs.

The Emergency Service Culture - Defining It and Understanding It - VFIS

Emergency service demands and operations are constantly changing. These changing demands and operations require public safety professionals to change as people, equipment, operations and expectations change. The first step in the change-management process is to understand and modify organizational culture to meet those new expectations.

Changing or Creating a Safety Culture for Fire & EMS Agencies - VFIS

Emergency service demands and operations are constantly changing. These changing demands and operations require public safety professionals to change as people, equipment, operations and expectations change. The first step in the change-management process is to understand and modify organizational culture to meet those new expectations.

Recruitment & Retention - VFIS

The intent of this class is to initiate a foundation for a long-term program by exploring challenges and potential solutions. The class will feature a variety of strategies in order to help you to implement a successful recruitment and retention programs in your community.

Managing Organized Labor (2 Hours) - IFSAC

The managing fire officer benefits from an understanding of the evolution of labor-management relations. Federal administrative law created a pendulum of power that swings between labor and management. 

A number of different federal acts have affected rights of workers, working conditions, and the right to strike. Strikes of public employees have become rare, and to some degree have been replaced by fire fighter involvement in the local and national political process. 

Safety & Risk Management for the Officer (2 hours) - IFSAC

The managing fire officer is responsible for the safety and risk management of multiple units operating at an incident as well as taking a global view of the department’s injury, accident, and health exposure experience.

Part of the global view is a more detailed understanding of the trends in fire fighter death and injury. This understanding will assist the Fire Officer II in assuring safe operations during a multi-company incident.

This will also assist in mitigating hazards identified in the post-incident analysis.

Training and Coaching (2 hours) - IFSAC

The managing fire officer is expected to create a professional development plan for each subordinate member. This is a new requirement in the 2009 version of NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. 

Also covered is information on certification, education, training, and credentialing to develop a professional development plan that utilizes all of the available resources.

Evaluation and Discipline (2 hours) – IFSAC

The managing fire officer is the first level when formal, documented, personnel evaluation, and discipline are issued. This includes a process and timeline that meets the requirements of a civil service personnel system. Performance or behavior that does not meet standards is dealt with first with positive, and then with negative, discipline. 

Leading the Agency (2 hours) - IFSAC

Leadership requires the fire officer to provide purpose and direction to fire fighters. The fire officer applies personal attributes to the leadership process. Effective leaders are also good followers, supporting the fire department leadership. Three leadership styles are autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Emergency situations, such as an evacuation order or may-day, require an autocratic response. In more routine situations, leadership is accomplished through influencing, operating, and improving. The fire officer should establish house rules for the fire station that preserve the public trust in the fire department. 

Working the Community (2 hours) - IFSAC

The officer is an ambassador of the agency who will be called upon to represent the department in a number of situations. An officer’s challenge is to be able to meet the community’s needs and respond to emergency incidents in a manner that creates community goodwill and reduces agency related deaths and injuries. The officer is responsible for conducting, and possibly helping to develop, public safety education programs. 

Handling Problems, Conflicts and Mistakes (2 hours) – IFSAC

Conflicts within a fire station, citizen complaints, and mistakes are common, and the fire officer must have the capability of dealing with them effectively. This chapter describes many problem-solving and decision-making tools and techniques that the officer can call upon. The officer is in a unique position both to create an effectively functioning emergency response unit and to recognize instances where new departmental policies should be considered

Pre-Incident Planning, and Code Enforcement (2 hours) - IFSAC

Pre-incident planning and code enforcement require the fire officer to perform within the education, enforcement, and engineering areas of fire prevention. NFPA 1620 gives a six-step method of developing a pre-incident plan: (1) evaluate physical elements and site considerations, (2) evaluate occupant considerations, (3) evaluate fire protection systems and water supply, (4) evaluate special hazards, (5) evaluate emergency operation considerations, and (6) evaluate special or unusual characteristics of common occupancy.

The state, commonwealth, or province determines the range and scope of local community fire code enforcement. There are five building construction classifications. The fire department is now involved as a stakeholder in disaster/emergency management and business continuity programs, as outlined in NFPA 1600.

Budgeting and Organizational Change (2 hours) - IFSAC

A budget is an itemized summary of estimated or intended revenues and expenditures. The budget process is a cycle. Fire departments are involved in complex revenue streams, using fees, and other creative techniques to ensure enough resources are available. Budgeting is also a technical and political process. There are opportunities for organizational change, and these sometimes arise during times of disaster.

Knowledge of the budget process is useful for the fire officer, even though it is not covered in most promotional exams; it is considered a professional development skill as identified by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).

Fire Officer Communication (2 hours) – IFSAC

Effective communication skills are vital for a fire officer. These skills are essential to provide direction to crew members, review new policies and procedures, and simply exchange information in a wide range of situations. Effectively transmitting radio reports requires a unique skill set. This chapter presents a variety of means of better understanding and improving communication skills

Managing Incidents for the Fire Officer (2 hours) - IFSAC

Every fire officer should be prepared to function in a variety of roles in the incident management system. A fire officer must be prepared to perform the duties of a first-arriving officer at any incident, including assuming initial command of the incident, establishing the basic management structure, and following standard operating procedures (SOPs). A fire officer must also be fully competent at working within the Incident Command System (ICS) at every incident. The procedures to follow are outlined in detail in this chapter.

Fire Attack (2 hours) - IFSAC

A managing or supervising fire officer is responsible for directly supervising a crew at fire and other emergency incidents. The officer is responsible for the safety of fire fighters and civilians, as well as for mitigating the incident.

This course describes incident size-up, determining incident priorities, and developing tactical assignments to control a fire. It also covers establishing command, command transfer procedures, multiple alarm incidents, and special considerations.

Fire Cause and Determination for the Fire Officer (2 hours) - IFSAC 

A Fire Officer I am expected to determine a preliminary cause of a fire. If not accidental, the managing fire officer secures the incident scene. The primary role is to identify the need for a formal fire investigation and to preserve evidence at the scene.

Crew Resource Management (2 hours) – IFSAC

The crew resource management (CRM) system concentrates on the conditions under which people work and tries to build defenses to avert errors or mitigate their effects. It has been embraced by “high reliability” organizations, and in the aviation industry it is partly responsible for an 80 percent drop in accidents.

Everyone makes mistakes, and CRM focuses on preventing them, fixing them, or working around them. The fire officer accepts suggestions from crew members, who may well have spotted something important that he or she has missed. Good communication and teamwork are stressed. 

Introduction to Leadership (2 hours) – IFSAC

This book provides information to meet the standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, at the Fire Officer I and II levels. The Fire Officer I level is the first step in a progressive sequence and is generally associated with an officer supervising a single fire company or apparatus. The next step, Fire Officer II, generally refers to the senior non-chief officer level in a larger fire department. Fire Officers III and IV generally refer to chief officer positions.

Historical events of the past have shaped the fire service of today. A chain of command is followed, and military organizational concepts still serve the fire officer. Fire officers use leadership and delegation to accomplish departmental objectives and goals. The four-step management process includes planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Challenges to the twenty-first century fire officer include the increase in non-fire incidents, deterioration of the built environment, protecting the homeland, cultural diversity, and ethics.

Crew Staff and the Officer (3 hours) – IFSAC

A fire officer is responsible for accounting for the people and resources at a fire station and work location. Transitioning from fire fighter to fire officer changes how the individual relates to the formal fire department organization and the role the fire officer plays with fellow fire fighters. A fire officer has a larger sphere of responsibility, and should “walk the talk” and demonstrate integrity by behaving ethically.

Understanding People; Management Concepts (2 hours) - IFSAC

Supervisors should be kept informed and consulted before making major disciplinary or policy changes. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is empowered to promote workplace diversity. Employees can file sexual harassment or hostile workplace complaints, which the fire officer must handle with fairness while following local procedures. The trend in local government is to expect the fire station to comply with the same behavior rules as are applied to other offices. Fire officers should educate and encourage the concept of “on duty speech” to maintain a non-hostile workplace.

Preparing for Promotion (2 hours) - IFSAC

Taking a promotional exam is a major undertaking, requiring a huge amount of time spent preparing for a few minutes of performance. An effective promotional process allows the department to identify which candidates have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to function as a supervisory or managing fire officer. 

Promotional processes are not perfect, so the candidate needs to identify areas of weakness or poor job-fit before the exam. The best way to start is to obtain the narrative job description and the class specification sheet from the personnel office or human resources. These two documents create the map in developing the promotional exam.