iCHIEFS Podcasts: Recent Episodes
iCHIEFS Podcast
Fire Chief Tom Jenkins and ESCI President Sheldon Gilbert engage with fire service leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing you and your agency. If you're seeking out new ideas, looking to improve your leadership skills, and wanting to make a difference within your organization, this podcast is for you.
Ready to pursue your Executive Fire Officer (EFO) certification? Tonya Hoover, Superintendent at the National Fire Academy, discusses the big changes coming to the EFO program in early 2020. Changes include: residential courses and blended online learning from home or workprogram shortened from 4 years to 24 monthscohort learning that allows for groups of students to take EFO classes together.completion of a graduate-level thesis as opposed to four Applied Research Projects. You'll also hear from Deputy Chief William Hyde, Rogers (Arkansas) and IAFC EFO Section Vice Chair, who shares how these changes benefit chief officers both personally and also their departments.
Your first 100 days as fire chief are a critical time to make a positive impression and to lay a meaningful foundation for the future. Having a 100-day plan before you take over is the first step to being successful.
Fire Chiefs John Butler, Fairfax County (Virginia) and Al Yancey, Jr., Minooka (Illinois) Fire Protection District share their personal experiences and resources available to help for new chiefs successfully navigate the first 100 days. Topics to be addressed: Identifying and aligning political, administrative and operational expectationsMaking sure your first impression is a foundational building block for the futureLaying the ground work for a sustainable and enhanced vision for the organizationUnderstanding the acceleration of change and ensuring things can be absorbedDealing with cultural challenges within the organization Chief Yancey also previews, You're the Fire Chief; Now What? -- Guidance for New & Interim Chiefs, a new guide for new chiefs taking the reins of an entire organization which approaches the transition in a format of incident command and the first-100-days method.
The path to becoming fire chief is often challenging and unpredictable. With that in mind, how can you best prepare to become a five-bugle chief?
Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Chief Trisha Wolford and Prince William County (Virginia) Chief (Retired) Mary Beth Michos share their experiences and address key elements of preparation, including: formal education/training,political and policy development skills and experience,public speaking and communication, work history and reputation, teachable potential, succession planning and job shadowing participation. Chief Michos also discusses the IAFC's Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI), a program which prepares aspiring chiefs to apply for and go through promotion and chief position processes.
This year’s Safety Stand Down theme is “Reduce Your Exposure: It’s Everybody’s Responsibility”. The campaign takes place June 16-22 and focuses on firefighters educating themselves, their physicians, and their coworkers about job-related risks; sharing the latest information on exposure to carcinogens, including how to limit exposure; and providing best practices and resources for reducing the risk of cancer to firefighters.
On this podcast, Fire Chief Nathan Trauernicht, UC Davis (CA) and Fire Chief (Ret.) Louie Bright, Dallas (TX) Fire and Rescue, share their experiences addressing firefighter cancer and strategies they employed to reduce this risk. They also will review the tools and resources available at SafetyStandDown.org.
Safety Stand Down is coordinated by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section and the NVFC, and is supported by national and international fire and emergency service organizations, including NFPA.