| The Building is Your Enemy: Know Your Enemy |
Each type of building presents its own hazards to firefighters. The safety emphasis in building codes is on getting occupants out: those who go in are on their own and must take care of themselves. This requires knowledge of buildings in general, and specific knowledge for certain buildings and types of buildings. Frank Brannigan will use some of his vast collection of photos to illustrate topics such as:
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Why masonry walls fall |
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Hazards of steel construction |
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Hazards of concrete construction |
He also includes tips such as:
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Don't say "I-beam columns," and don't say "cement" when you mean "concrete" |
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Never assume that an hourly fire resistance rating has any relationship to real-time hours in a fire |
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Do not accept the myth that cold water on hot steel causes collapse |
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| Faculty: Francis L. (Frank) Brannigan is a fire service legend. A fire buff since the late 1930's, he was assigned fire protection duties while serving with the U.S. Navy in 1942. Following the war, he transitioned to a civilian fire protection manager position with the Navy, and later became a fire and safety specialist for the Atomic Energy Commission. He is best known for his almost 40 years of teaching building construction to the fire service, beginning in the new fire science program at Montgomery College in 1966. His textbook, Building Construction for the Fire Service, is in its third edition; he also writes a regular column for Fire Engineering. We are honored to have him on our faculty. |
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| The Fire Service in High-Risk Neighborhoods |
| This workshop will teach participants the essential steps necessary to identify a target community, solicit community involvement with the fire department, and implement targeted outreach programs to address community needs. Participants will be introduced to the principles of quality customer service to community residents, develop a deeper understanding of relevant social issues, and begin to share in the ownership of challenges that exist within their neighborhoods. |
| Faculty: Kwame Cooper has been a trainer and consultant for the past 19 years. He has extensive experience in change management, leadership development, community-based fire stations, and workforce diversity. He has served as a member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department for 24 years, and is currently assigned as a captain in administration, responsible for policies and procedures, budget, and strategic planning. |
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| When I Doubt Myself and Other Women |
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This workshop encourages women to examine the harmful impact of a lifetime of sexist messages on their own self-image and their attitudes toward other women. Either can be hurtful, even fatal, on a fire scene. Exercises and skills are offered to affirm women and women's skills, and to confront internalized sexism. Please note: This workshop is for women only. Men interested in this subject are encouraged to attend jona's workshop on Thursday afternoon.
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| Faculty: jona olsson has been a political activist and educator for almost three decades. She claims in her life (as most of us can) the experience of both privilege and oppression. She is the founder and director of Cultural Bridges, offering cultural diversity programs for college or community groups and agencies. She is also Chief of the Latir Volunteer Fire Department in New Mexico. Participants in her workshops at previous WFS conferences offer high praise and apreciation for jona's frank, open approach, her sense of humor, and -- most importantly -- their renewed commitment to the struggle for justice. We are pleased to have been able to invite her to join our faculty once again. Her workshops have become a very meaningful part of our program. |
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| Six Habits of Effective Negotiators: Remember, Everything is Negotiable |
| Using lecture and class participation, the principles of successful negotiation will be discussed. There will also be a short group practice of skills learned. |
| Faculty: Mary Beth Michos is Fire Chief of the Prince William County, Virginia, Department of Fire and Rescue |
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| How to Start a Human Relations Committee |
| [Description forthcoming] |
| Faculty: IAFF staff |
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| What the Fire Chief Expects of You |
| [Description forthcoming] |
| Faculty: Chief Becky Denlinger, Cobb County (Georgia) Fire & Emergency Services; Chief Bonnie Bleskachek, Minneapolis Fire Department; Chief Rosemary Cloud, East Point (Georgia) Fire Department |
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| Orientation to the EEO Officer Training Program |
| This workshop will introduce a new program developed by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute to standardize training for fire service personnel whose job it is to ensure that their department (career or volunteer) is in compliance with federal, state, and local government laws concerning equal employment opportunity. |
| Faculty: Paul Darius Brown is the Equity Officer at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, University of Maryland. He has 25 years of firefighting and EMS experience with Fairfax County, Virginia, Fire and Rescue, and is a member of the Chapel Oaks Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Squad in Prince George, Maryland. He is the Maryland state representative for the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters and a faculty member of the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute. |
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| Two-part wildland issues session |
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Part One: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM): What it means to you and the fire workforce
A seven-year collaboration between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish uniform fire management qualification standards has been completed. The goals of this new policy are to improve firefighter safety and increase professionalism in fire management programs.
This panel of fire training and human resource specialists will discuss implementation of the IFPM Qualifications Standards and Guide. We will present employee development tools for identifying career training, education, and experience needs and opportunities, to help meet workforce requirements. The session will emphasize career development and upward mobility in the fire program.
Faculty: Vi Hillman is the Interagency Fire Training Specialist for Region 4 FS and the Utah BLM. She began her firefighting career in 1978, working fourteen seasons for Salt Lake District, BLM, in a wide range of positions. Her current fire qualifications include National Fire Prevention Team Leader, Type II Fire Information Officer, Training Specialist, and Resource Specialist. Joette Borzik is a National Fire Training Specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
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Part Two: Dynamic Program Development in Changing Times
Solid, accurate situational awareness is critical to our ability to perform our work and accomplish our objectives safely and effectively. This is important to us as firefighters because we work under conditions that are dynamic: continually in a state of change. To make sound decisions, we must continually evaluate how we are doing business and whether our actions are producing the results we want.
Organizations must apply the concepts of situational awareness and solid decision-making beyond the fireline. The very culture we work in can be as dynamic as the fire environment, and the consequences of failing to adapt to these changing dynamics can have extremely negative effects on our organizations. How do we develop a dynamic program and begin fostering a culture that enables our organizations to meet changing times with as much success as we meet changes in our fire environments?
This discussion will present the efforts put forth by the U.S. Forest Service and the Missoula Smokejumper Program to begin finding ways to develop just such a culture and organization, by focusing on recruiting and retaining a diverse and dynamic workforce and providing an incredible foundation in fire and land management practices.
Faculty: Bill Miller is a Missoula Smokejumper and Crew Supervisor of the Great Northern Fire Program, USDA Forest Service.
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| Command Development (repeats in afternoon session) |
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This session is dedicated to the initial command and control of emergency incidents. The program will utilize the tabletop incident command training aids at Montgomery County's Command Development Center, and will focus on the decision-making processes used during the initial stages of an emergency incident. Students will also be able to discuss tactics and strategies as they relate to incident management. Limited to 15 students.
This is an off-site workshop. Transportation will be provided, leaving the hotel early in the morning. Check on site for exact departure time.
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| Faculty: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue staff |
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| Flashover Survival Training (repeats in afternoon session) |
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Participants in this session will gain an understanding how flashovers develop, and how firefighters can improve their chances of survival when encountering this deadly phenomenon. Students will receive both classroom instruction and real-life training in the flashover simulator. Limited to 20 participants.
This is an off-site workshop. Transportation will be provided, leaving the hotel early in the morning (check on site for exact departure time). Participants should bring their own protective gear, including SCBA if possible. A limited amount of gear will be available on site. NOTE: This workshop requires documentation of an SCBA fit test.
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| Faculty: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue staff |
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| Basic Hauling Systems (repeats in afternoon session) |
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In this workshop, we will use basic rope hauling systems to handle a variety of rescue and patient-transport situations. The focus will be on understanding how mechanical-advantage systems work, and how they can be used in non-high-angle situations. Students will participate in a number of exercises that review rope, rope hardware, and the construction and use of hauling systems. Limited to 25 participants.
This is an off-site workshop. Transportation will be provided, leaving the hotel early in the morning. Check on site for exact departure time. Participants should bring their own helmets, gloves, and appropriate footwear; a limited amount of gear will be available on site.
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| Faculty: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue staff |
