Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2009 - (Page 33)

Billy Craft Brent Parker Lane Henderson At that time, the Texas Fire Chiefs Association had taken the initiative to design and deliver the first online fire officer training ever certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Over a period of several years, TFCA provided excellent Fire Officer I and II courses for hundreds of fire officers. Following the success of TFCA’s Fire Training Online program, other training providers crowded TFCA out of the market. One provider even offered Fire Officer I and II courses for free. So, TFCA phased out the Fire Training Online program and shifted our focus to other professional development needs of the Texas fire service. Chief Woods and I put our heads together again and set the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy in motion. We envisioned a program, crafted from the NFPA 1021 Fire Officer III and IV standard, but where participants would network like they do at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg. The participants would attend two weeks in residence on a college campus, attending TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Spring/Summer 2009 seminars during the day and networking in the evenings. They must also pass an exam over an extensive reading assignment from nationally recognized texts. The Chiefs Academy agenda would include practitioners teaching topics in their areas of professional expertise, telling future fire chiefs what they need to know, the nuts and bolts, how to stay out of trouble and still be effective. The classes would be small and very informal, designed for easy interaction between the participants and presenters. Participants would be face-to-face with the most knowledgeable people in the Texas fire service, on a first-name basis with the chiefs who have hands-on experience to back up their bugles. The classroom environment would be rich with knowledge and valuable advice. Topics include labor relations, personnel issues, city management and city council relations, fire and EMS regulation in Texas, emergency management, policies and procedures, information management and analysis, firefighter health and safety, finance and budgeting, and fire service leadership. The Texas Fire Chiefs Academy format should ensure that participants have sufficient time to incorporate course content into their current jobs and in planning their careers. Chief Woods and I decided that the Chiefs Academy would extend over a period of one year. Participants would also have ample time to develop their friendships with Chiefs Academy classmates and compare notes as their careers progress over the months. Between the first week on campus in Year 1 and the final week in Year 2, each participant would complete a project designed to benefit their own fire department. The project would provide an opportunity for each participant to apply some of the course content in the organizational context. The projects might be a task they already planned to do for work or a pet project they wanted to complete for their department. The participants would 33

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2009

Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2009 Contents Executive Director's Report 2009 Annual Conference Preview Hurricane Resistant Fire Stations in South Texas Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System The IAFC and TV Worldwide Launch IAFC TV KITA and Firefighter Motivation TFCA Legislator Award What Do They See When They See You Coming? Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Standing Tall Lake Travis Fire Rescue Answers the Call 2009 TFCA Executive Board TFCA Region Map Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2009

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