By Wayne L. Eder
Published Thursday, December 1, 2011
| From the December 2011 Issue of FireRescue
All fire departments need new fire officers to be trained and developed so that they can eventually step up to lead the organization—and it’s an issue that never goes away. This is particularly true in rural and volunteer fire departments. Fortunately, our forefathers realized this need when they formed the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Academy (NFA). What other profession can claim that training for supervisors and managers is provided at no cost?
But why aren’t more of our officers taking advantage of these opportunities? The first concern is always time, but if you’re going to step up and be a leader, you need to learn to manage your time effectively. With that in mind, let’s look at the variety of resources available to aspiring officers, and how they can best manage their time in order to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to promote to fire officer and become tomorrow’s fire service leaders.
Where to Start: Classes & Certifications
Once you have completed your Basic Firefighter training, you’re ready to take the plunge into advancing yourself and your career. Hopefully your training involved certification by an outside accrediting agency, such as Pro Board (www.theproboard.org) or IFSAC (www.ifsac.org), or a state fire training certification. Why are accreditation and certification important? They demonstrate that you have met the minimum national consensus standards, such as those set by the NFPA, and successfully completed the testing process. If you’re not familiar with accreditation and certification, you need to be. Start by checking with your state fire training organization. Your training officer or fire chief can assist you with this process.
To begin your journey to fire officer, I recommend participating in the FEMA Independent Study Program (http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp). You may have completed similar training in your Firefighter I and II programs; however, the following courses are a great start:
- IS-100b: Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
- IS-200b: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
- IS-700a: Introduction to the National Incident Management System
- IS-800a: National Response Framework, An Introduction
Once you get through these classes, you can select a variety of other courses on the list. Each course you complete successfully will provide you with a certificate of completion, which will build your résumé for promotion. In addition, FEMA has a program in which you can earn college credits for the training you complete. Each class is a building block that will help you in meeting prerequisites for other FEMA and NFA courses.
After working through some FEMA courses to get your feet wet, move over to the NFA Distance Learning website (www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/nfaonline). There are numerous courses to take; however, for aspiring officers, I recommend that you start with the following:
- Q534: Emergency Response to Terrorism
- Q318: Fire Service Supervision
You may notice that some of the FEMA Independent Study courses are duplicated. They’re basically the same courses, and the FEMA and NFA certificates are recognized as equal, as they are offered by the same agency (the Department of Homeland Security). Further, the best part of this website for new officers is the variety of fire service subjects available to hone your knowledge, as well as the ICS simulation series, which allows you to apply ICS skills on simulated fires and emergencies. This is a great preparatory tool for tabletop exercises in your department or promotional tests.
Moving to the Next Step
The independent study will help prepare you for participating in more advanced classes as time permits. But you have no time, right? Fortunately, there are training opportunities at both the state and local levels that hopefully can fit into your schedule.
At the national level, the NFA has once again come to our aid to provide officer training around your schedule. The NFA offers off-campus courses throughout the country that can fit into anyone’s busy schedule. These two-day (or longer) courses will give you great training—and a certificate to document your training. Remember to keep all of those certificates. They could help you land a promotion later in life, or keep your department out of legal or regulatory issues. To see the available classes for your state, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/non resident/index.shtm.
Your ultimate educational goal should be to attend the NFA itself. Located in Emmitsburg, Md., near the site of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, the NFA campus is also home to the FEMA and NFA Independent Study Programs. It is here that you can take a variety of courses to prepare you for your role as an officer. The NFA offers weekend, week-long and two-week-long courses. Check the schedule (www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa) to see how you can work these courses into your life. The NFA will provide this training free of charge, and may reimburse your travel depending on your location. Lodging is provided; however, you are responsible for your meals. As a start, check out the NFA Volunteer Incentive Program and its two-day programs.
So is this the only officer training available? Absolutely not. You can find officer training at local colleges and universities, through your state fire training organization and even online. If you want training, it’s there for the taking!
Higher Education
In the last two decades or so, the fire service has embraced higher education, with many departments requiring a minimum of an associate’s degree to promote to officer. Check with your local community college or check out online educational programs to see what fits your needs. For a bachelor’s degree, the NFA offers the Degrees at a Distance Program (www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/higher_ed/feshe/feshe_ddp.shtm), which can greatly assist you in reaching this educational milestone.
As with any profession, education is the key to advancement. You will find more and more of your colleagues pursuing master’s and doctorate degrees, only amplifying the competition for officer positions. Still don’t have the time? Your peers are finding the time, giving them an edge over you in the promotional process, so you need to do everything in your power to find time, too.
Online colleges and universities are other options for obtaining a degree:
- Kaplan University (www.getinfo.kaplan.edu/fire-science-emergency-management.aspx)
- Eastern Kentucky University (www.justice.eku.edu/ssem/fset)
- American Military University, a part of the American Public University System (www.publicsafety atamu.com)
There are many other colleges and universities available online, so use your favorite search engine to find an online program that works for you.
Specialized Training:
Fire Schools & Academies
A variety of excellent fire schools are available nationwide to assist you in your training efforts. Some offer specialty training for firefighters and officers, such as the University of Nevada (Reno) Fire Science Academy (www.fireacademy.unr.edu). The FSA specializes in petroleum firefighting courses for all ranks, and provides command training for managing major petroleum or hazardous materials incidents.
Other fire schools that can assist in your career, depending on where you live, include:
- Louisiana State University Fire and Emergency Training Institute (http://feti.lsu.edu )
- TEEX Fire and Emergency Training Institute (www.teex.org/esti)
- Delaware State Fire School (http://state fireschool.delaware.gov)
- Oklahoma State University (http://grad.okstate.edu/programs/fire/femp.htm)
To find a fire program near you, visit www.uscollegesearch.org/fire-science--firefighting-colleges.html.
There are also numerous online fire academies, including:
- Fire Academy Online: www.fireacademy online.com
- Training Division: www.trainingdivision.com
- Open Fire Academy International: www.openfireacademy.org/moodle
Know Your Neighbors
Are you aware of what other departments are doing in your area for training? Do you know how to contact other fire departments? A great resource is http://firedepart mentdirectory.com. This site lists local fire departments with contact information and various other department details. Use this site to contact neighbors regarding upcoming training, and be sure to update your own department’s information. If your department isn’t listed, work with your chief to change that; it will open a variety of opportunities for your department.
Final Thoughts
Training is the key to developing a fire officer, and while some responsibility obviously falls on the department to train you, you must be proactive in seeking out training and experience, too. Not only will you help your department and community, you’ll also keep yourself and your crew safer.
A note to the hundreds of institutions, programs, fire schools and resources nationwide: I commend all of you for your efforts in training our nation’s firefighters. Thank you for your service!
Until next time, stay safe.
Additional Resources
Several organizations provide training resources for fire department personnel. Some examples:
- National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC; www.nvfc.org)
- NFPA (www.nfpa.org)
- Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI; www.cfsi.org)
Comment Now: Post Your Thoughts & Comments on This Story
Wayne L. Eder
Wayne L. Eder, EFO, MBA is the director of the University of Nevada (Reno) Fire Science Academy. Chief Eder’s 30-year fire service career includes 12 years as a fire chief in California and Arizona, 12 additional years as a chief officer, and concurrent service of 20 years as a college and university professor. A graduate of California Coast University with a master’s in business administration and a bachelor’s degree from Cogswell College in fire protection administration, Chief Eder is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and a certified Chief Officer and Master Fire Instructor. He has obtained more than $9 million in successful fire service grants and donations for rural and volunteer fire agencies in the Western United States. Read Full Bio
