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I Love a Fire Fighter: What the Family Needs to Know(also offered in preceding session)
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Firefighters have two families: one at work, one at home. Managing these complex relationships is a challenge for the firefighter and her family. Drawing on three years of research, this workshop will cover:
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What firefighter families need to know about the givens and realities of the fire service (shift work, danger, worry, playing second fiddle to the job) |
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How the job spills over to home, and what to do about it (communication problems, humor, preoccupation with work) |
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The firefighter personality |
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Special challenges for women firefighters and their families |
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Special challenges for firefighter couples |
Note: Conference attendees may purchase special registrations for this workshop only, for family and friends. The fee is $10.
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| Faculty: Ellen Kirschman is the author of I Love a Fire Fighter: What the Family Needs to Know and I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know. She has been a public safety psychologist for 25 years, twelve of those with the fire service. Most of her professional time is spent in training and public speaking. Some of the research for her book on firefighters was done at the last WFS conference, in Denver. |
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| Power and Politics |
| Non-partisan politics is the art of exercising influence. We use politics every day, in almost every relationship: at home, at work, and in recreation. The exercise of influence in the public arena is frequently the determining factor in organizational success, while its inappropriate use is often the reason for failure. This presentation will explain the relationships among the use of power, politics and confrontation, how you can use it, and how it can be used against you. |
| Faculty: Denis Onieal is Superintendent of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. |
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| High Rise Fires |
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| In the first three months of 2003, firefighters in a D.C. suburb went to three major high rise fires. In each case, one or more firefighters faced a "Mayday" situation. The firefighters involved -- those in trouble and those rescuing them -- were later interviewed in an effort to discover common factors among the incidents. An exhaustive search of available literature was also conducted. The result was a series of suggestions for improving high rise operations that were immediately placed into action. This presentation represents the lessons learned from these three incidents, as well as suggestions for improving strategic and tactical operations at high rise fires. |
| Faculty: Charles Bailey is a Lieutenant with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, where he developed recommendations for the department's Rapid Intervention policy and has conducted an exhaustive series of search drills. |
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| Policy Development for a Diverse Workforce |
| Work policies are developed in response to the needs of the workplace and its managers. When the workforce changes, so must the policies. Many fire departments, however, are still struggling to manage a workplace of men and women with policies that were designed for one that included only menh. Workable policies to address sexual harassment, firefighter pregnancy, privacy in station accommodations, firefighter hair length/grooming standards, and transgendered firefighters allow basic human issues to be managed positively and effectively. They also bolster recruitment of a more diverse workforce. This workshop will review the basics of policy development in these areas, invite discussion of "best practices" from fire agencies throughout the U.S., and suggest guidelines for model policies. |
| Faculty: Terese Floren is the Executive Director of Women in the Fire Service |
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| Integrating the Incident Command System into the Disaster Response System of India |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has partnered with the Indian government's Ministry of Home Affairs to integrate the ICS into India's disaster management system. This U.S. Agency for International Development-funded program began in 2002 and involves consultations, workshops, U.S. study tours, and formalized training. This presentation will describe the program's activities, the challenges of adapting emergency management systems in a global context, and cross-cultural aspects of international partnerships. Information will be provided on avenues for pursuing assignments in this program and similar international disaster management arenas. |
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Faculty: Deanne Shulman is a Disaster Mitigation Management Specialist in International Programs for the USDA Forest Service. Deanne has worked with the Forest Service since 1974 in a variety of fire management positions. At the field level, she has held positions on hotshot crews, helicopters, engines, smokejumper, and as a battalion chief. Since 1992, she has been involved in international fire management, research, and disaster response activities in Russia, Mongolia, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Nepal. She served as project leader in Indonesia from 1998-2002 in a program designed to strengthen fire management capacity, and is currently program manager for the India ICS program. Deanne holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from Northern Arizona University.
Laura Chapman has worked for the Forest Service since 1989, and has served as program management specialist for the India ICS program since its inception two years ago. She has been involved with international disaster management programs since 2001, and was previously a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal. Her collateral duties on the Six Rivers National Forest in California include coordinating the rural community assistance program and the forest's environmental education program. She has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in international development technology.
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| Cold Weather Considerations for Mass Decontamination |
| This lecture will include practical considerations involving the use of water for mass decontamination in cold weather, medical considerations, and practical solutions for problems involving ice and shelter. Attendees should have had basic training in the concepts of emergency mass decontamination. |
| Faculty: R. Brock Cline is Master Firefighter/Paramedic with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. He is also a member of the National Medical Response Team (WMD) for the nation's capital. The sole purpose of this team is emergency mass decontamination and patient care in all weather conditions. |
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| Where to Find the Money to Save |
| It is estimated that people in the U.S. don't know where 10% to 20% of their income goes each year. This is a significant amount of money, and could create a large savings account. Participants in this workshop will use hands-on activities and self-scored personal evaluations to help them learn how to plan and find money to save for their financial goals, and where to save or invest that money. |
| Faculty: Madeleine Greene, AFC, CFCS, is a faculty member of the University of Maryland and an educator with the Maryland Cooperative Extension. She was named National Extension Educator of the Year in 2000. |
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| Crisis Intervention: Alternative Response Program |
| This workshop will introduce a unique community-based program aimed at managing a family through a tragedy: the Victims' Assistance/Crisis Intervention philosophy currently in place in the fire departments of the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. We will discuss how the fire service can better intervene to help citizens in our day-to-day operations, and explain how our emergency response protocol, crisis intervention, and behavioral health all coexist to create maximum-quality service delivery to our internal and external customers. |
| Faculty: Lynette Jelinek is Alternative Response Coordinator for the Glendale, Arizona, Fire Department, having created the department's Alternative Response Team in 2002. She is also an instructor in crisis intervention. |
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| Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered women firefighters' networking session |
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This session is an opportunity for lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered women firefighters to share common issues and discuss success strategies. Please note that this is a women-only session. Men interested in these issues are invited to participate in "Homophobia is Alive and Well in the Fire Service."
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