4-Hour Workshops: Monday, April 16, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

21st Century Fire Attack
Firefighter Chris Pepler, Torrington (CT) Fire Department
Today’s firefighters are not getting the same experience working at fires that our previous generations received. Today’s building design and contents have made the fire atmosphere more hostile. National agencies have conducted extensive research on the increasingly dangerous fire conditions. This class will review numerous reports to deliver a “back-to-basics” perspective for the firefighter. While filming the Fire Engineering video series “Tactical Perspectives,” the instructor collected and analyzed hundreds of hours of film on how the interior conditions can impact fire attack and how simple mistakes and tactics help or impede the attack. Since three-quarters of fires occur in residential structures, they are still considered the “typical work environment.” Learn tricks of the trade for fires in residential structures, the unique dangers firefighters face in each incident, and how to minimize future risk.

Building Construction Principles for ICs
Fire Marshal Paul Dansbach, Rutherford (NJ) Bureau of Fire Safety
The course covers building construction hazards, collapse potential, and recognizing building features that will be useful to firefighters and fire officers who are operating as the incident commander or operations officer. Topics include firefighter fatality statistics, recognizing the type of construction, the building materials used in each types of construction and how these material react to fire, identifying the fire spread and collapse potential of a building, the importance of identifying the floor levels in buildings with multiple stories and buildings that have a change in grade around the perimeter of the building, and the importance of recognizing typical and non-typical floor layouts in buildings and recognizing what construction features will help the command officer’s ability to conduct an proper and on-going size-up. Exterior wall construction will be reviewed in detail--how the wall construction may limit access to the building’s interior and how to overcome the obstacles presented by the materials used in the wall construction. Several fire incident reports will be studied to help command officers chose the best strategy and tactics based on the construction, floor arrangement, and floor plan of the building. The course will review how the contents of a building may complicate fireground operations.

Challenges of Modern Apartments
Battalion Chief Stuart Grant, Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue
Apartment buildings built in urban areas represent a unique problem for today’s firefighters. They are multiple stories in height and occupy large areas, sometimes several city blocks. Some of the features of these buildings represent high-rises, and some of those tactics can be used. On the other hand, these are lightweight buildings that do not have the fire resistive construction of high-rises. These buildings have restricted access and make for unique rescue profiles. This workshop will explore the thought processes and criteria that may be used to formulate decisions at modern apartment fires and keep firefighters safe.

Command Strategy and Tactics Simulations
Assistant Chief David Franklin, San Francisco (CA) Fire Department
Having trouble getting your personnel the necessary command training/experience because there are not as many fires as there use to be? The U.S. military, NASA, law enforcement agencies, and the airline industry are just a few of the organizations that effectively use simulators to train personnel. This presentation will include command and control of fires in large commercial building occupancies, single-family dwellings, multifamily and multistory residential buildings, high-rises, and many more. Improve incident command knowledge, skills, and abilities with a simple command process that can be implemented to keep incident commanders on task and focused throughout the incident. Provide a positive environment of good dialog and student interaction to enhance each individual’s command process. Thoroughly discuss and illustrate command priorities, strategies, and tactics in many different building fire scenarios.

Drill Development: Four Steps to Success
Captain Bob Carpenter, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue
This workshop addresses the roadblocks you frequently encounter when planning training sessions. Participants will learn a four-step approach to planning hands-on drills and evolutions from the company level to large multicompany drills: Plan, Prepare, Present, Post (post-exercise debriefing). Areas of discussion include needs assessment, drill topics, safety plans, and conducting debriefings. Perhaps the biggest challenge to fire departments today is overcoming the loss of experience at all levels, particularly in operations. As the most accessible trainer on the department, the company officer must prepare to be effective in this role. Organized, successful training sessions are the first step.

Dying Inside: Firefighter Deaths Inside of Structures
Captain David Bernzweig, Columbus (OH) Division of Fire
Despite recent reductions in firefighter fatalities, firefighters continue to die inside of structures at an alarming rate. The purpose of this class is to help first line and commanding officers recognize the main causes of firefighter deaths inside of structures and apply practical tools and tactics to reduce the risk associated with offensive firefighting. Participants will gain a better understanding of the main causes of firefighter fatalities inside of structures and will be given appropriate tools and tactics to help reduce that risk. This workshop lets participants apply tactics to real-world scenarios, using the “Size-up for Firefighter Life Safety” method to enhance decision making on the fireground. All participants will receive a DVD containing all courseware that they can take back to their home department.

Effective High-Rise Management
Captain John Alston, Jersey City (NJ) Fire Department
There are many programs and books on high-rise response. They offer a few strategies, but none offer a combination of the civilian side and the emergency response side. None give the same insight for mitigation efforts from both sides. Lessons learned from previous operations and tragedies have shown that preparation from both sides is critical. Students will discuss key elements of an effective high-rise safety program involving civilian residents and staff, examine case studies, identify the components for responding to high-rise emergencies, and determine effective courses of action in planning responses.

Fire in the Basement
Lieutenant (Ret.) John J. Lewis, Passaic (NJ) Fire Department
A fire in the basement is different than any other fire to which we respond. Fire spreads through vertical voids that initiate in the basement, causing structural instability. “It’s in the basement” are four words that should make everyone on the fireground immediately rethink their strategies and adjust tactics. Usually this radio transmission is heard after several minutes on the fireground, while members are searching the first floor under heavy heat and smoke conditions, only to discover the fire is burning below them. Topics include building construction, size up concerns, proper handline placement, ventilation, and search procedures.

Fireground Officer Development
Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo, North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire & Rescue
This presentation will challenge officers and prospective officers on their preparation, attitude, philosophical approach, and operational and organizational skills in the hard environment (on the fireground) and in the soft environment (the areas and time when you are preparing yourself and your subordinates for the fireground). It will help officers look inside themselves and look at their departments and answer the questions: “What kind of officer am I?” and “What type of organization do I work for?” Am I really an officer who looks out for his subordinates? Or do I use lip service and then do not practice what I preach? This class will explore such factors as setting expectations and setting proper example as well as discuss the skills of resolving subordinate issues. Safety of operations and the officer’s role will play a major role in officer development and fireground organization and will be addressed by discussing the rules of engagement, the art of command presence, and street-command organization. Further discussion will focus on officer accountability and the subsequent role of both fireground accountability and the coordination of fireground actions.

How to Excel at Promotional Exams
Battalion Chief Steven Prziborowski, Santa Clara County (CA) Fire Department
Attendees will be exposed to the most common events within a promotional assessment center: the oral interview, emergency simulation, and personnel counseling session. Numerous key points for success will be discussed to help candidates increase their score on their next promotional exam and be as prepared as they can be! This session is intended for anyone aspiring to a higher position in the fire service. Promotional candidates will learn valuable tips to help increase their overall scores, get themselves in the mindset of taking a promotional examination, and prepare themselves for the position they are aspiring to. Many candidates enter the promotional process without having fully prepared themselves for the position they are aspiring to. The class will help the student prepare to be successful in the promotional process. Why waste your time at going the promotional process if you are not going to be the best you can be? Set yourself up for success long in advance of the promotional examination you are planning on participating in, and your odds of getting that badge will greatly increase!

Leadership Excellence
Chief Ron Kanterman, New London County, CT
Now more than ever, leadership in the fire service is essential for survival. Learning proper leadership tips and techniques for working with people, politicians, and the public will take fire service leaders to and through the next decade. One must know not just what to say but how and when to say it. Having the right people skills is a must for all fire service leaders. This workshop focuses on taking the participants through different phases of leadership. We discuss developing yourself, developing your staff, developing your department, and communications. Also covered are having a vision aside from a mission and coming away with a plan for personal and professional improvement to take home. This is a hands-on workshop with class participation and role playing.

Leadership in the Real World
Battalion Chief (Ret.) Robert Burns, Fire Department of New York
Traditional leadership training classes provide us with insight and knowledge. They tell us what we should be but often fails to address what we should do to translate this knowledge into action. To be an effective leader, we need so much more than theory. Many departments invest a lot of time and training dollars in leadership training, but in the end nothing seems to change. These training programs fail because they make one huge false assumption. They assume that if people understand something, that they will do it. This is simply not true. Effective leadership is not just a function of knowing things; it takes the courage, motivation, and skill to actually do them! During this workshop, in addition to discussing current leadership research and psychology, we will focus much of our time and effort on translating leadership theory into behaviors and skills that students will be able to use on the job, in their home departments, every day! The curriculum is modeled after the leadership training programs currently attended by officers in the Fire Department of New York on promotion to lieutenant and captain.

Liability Issues for Officers
State Fire Instructor Mark Butler, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control
The fear of liability seems to permeate society generally and is a reality in the fire service today. Exactly what creates liability for operational or training in the fire service is often ill-defined and more frequently based on speculation and personal opinion around the firehouse kitchen table rather than on true, practical understanding of not only what liability is but how to avoid it. This workshop will dispel those inaccurate opinions through a practical examination of the legal and practical basis for liability unique to the fire service, beginning with an overview of the various forms of liability with direct applications for the fire officer, using case studies and other real-life examples. The workshop will use this practical understanding of liability to explore definitive methods for avoiding it, both on the street-level and during training. It will include precise methods for protecting the fire officer and line firefighter from personal and professional exposure to liability for the most common operational and training legal issues.

Modern Vehicles: Techniques and Technology
Educator Dave Dalrymple, Roadway Rescue LLC
A primer for responders on new vehicle issues and related emergencies, this program will give the student the latest information and materials on such “hot topics” as safety systems, hybrid vehicles, vehicle construction, and materials. Those lessons will be reinforced with “best practices” skill evolutions on brand new vehicles that have realistically been damaged. Also presented are cutting edge tool techniques that take into account technology issues and concerns. The student will learn the three general types of vehicle construction, the impact of vehicle construction principals on current extrication evolutions, issues facing the rescuer in relation to vehicle materials, the various motive power in vehicles including hybrids, concerns of the automotive battery systems, how the various SRS system functions, and safety precautions involving SRS with a variety of tool evolutions.

Pride and Ownership: The Love for the Job
Chief (Ret.) Rick Lasky, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
Ignite your love for the job. The instructor takes a hard look at the fire service and finds it short on the only element that makes it effective: passion. He gives an upfront and honest criticism about the need to reignite the love of the job on every level, from chiefs on down. Do you have what it takes? Not everyone is cut out for the fire service. It takes only the best to serve the public when people need help most. Pride and ownership call for personnel with honor and integrity to measure up to the task. Revisit the proud history and tradition of the fire service and reflect on the family values that have made firefighting a truly family-oriented vocation.

Red Flags on the Fireground
Operations Chief Richard Riley, Clearwater (FL) Fire & Rescue
At many incidents, all the signs and sounds are there for the firefighters and incident commanders to predict that an emergency or injury is about to happen. This class will set a foundation for companies to have a plan in place to take away some of these issues and problems. Learn how these firefights can be successful through the model of an SOP-driven fire where tactical assignments are already preplanned and assigned to companies prior to the fire happening, thus reducing the unknowns and frantic calls on the radio. This approach will teach you to be proactive and not reactive to problems as they arise on the fireground. But with every plan there are issues that can arise, and the IC and company officers should be prepared to react and have the ability to accomplish tasks without delay. Stop actions that will make us wave these flags.

Tactical Applications of Fire Dynamics
Fire Protection Engineer Stephen Kerber, Underwriters Laboratories
This presentation will look at how fire dynamics impact every tactic on the firegound from forcible entry to ventilation to fire attack. The fire environment has changed, and it is time the fire service reexamines its tactics to understand not just what to do but why. Increase knowledge on fire behavior and increase awareness of how it impacts all of your tactics.

Tactical Considerations and Size-Up
Battalion Chief Michael Walker, Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department
Learn how deal with the ever-changing dynamics of scene management at a structure fire and what to do when the initial plan isn’t working. So many firefighters, especially officers and chief officers, wonder why they hear of other incidents that appear to go flawlessly and theirs never seem to run that smoothly. The truth is, most incidents don’t run flawlessly. There is always something that could have been done differently and probably better. Video footage taken from the incident commander’s helmet camera from three different fire alarms will help students understand how size-up was performed. The incident commander will also give an honest account as to how the applied tactics succeeded or failed and what steps were taken to recover from the ineffective efforts. Students will learn how they can avoid the same mistakes and how to manage multi-alarm incidents.

4-Hour Workshops: Monday, April 16, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Applied Fireground Decision Making
President Christopher Brennan, Spartan Concepts Inc.
The fireground is a dynamic environment that is filled with threats to the firefighter. To safely operate in this kind of environment, we must develop the skill to maintain situational awareness (SA). If you have SA, you constantly know what is happening around you and where you are in relation to threats. Building SA for the fireground is predicated on an intuitive understanding of fire behavior and building construction. Students will be exposed to fireground tactical decision making as a means of effectively using SA to be better prepared to confront the challenging environment of the fireground. The workshop will use videos and examples of standard operating guidelines to demonstrate best practices for understanding the dynamic fireground and making decisions. After reviewing extreme fire behavior, reading smoke, building construction, and critical decision making, students will then practice using applied fireground Tactical decision making through custom simulations of structure fire responses.

Command Training Center Development and Management
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Nick Brunacini and Captain (Ret.) John Brunacini, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
This workshop will focus on Command Training Curriculums--looking at several curriculums used to deliver command training; Electronics & Facilities--facilities and equipment used to deliver command training; Simulation Technology and Development--simulation software venders will demo products and ways to build simulations and their application; Hazard Zone & Safety Integration--making it all fit together. Command training must focus on the actual job that we do everyday in the streets. The end product of our training needs to produce incident commanders who make better decisions that provide for a safer and more efficient operation in the hazard zone. The program will also focus on making command training realistic and applicable inside your system.

Cutting-Edge Command Officer
Division Chief Edward Hadfield, Coronado (CA) Fire Department
Today's company and chief officers are facing unprecedented challenges, fireground dangers, liability, personnel conflict, and public and fiscal scrutiny. This program is designed to provide command officers with the necessary skill to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. It is vital that all personnel operating in the fire service have a strong understanding of the importance of today’s fireground and the dynamic challenges command officers face. This course focuses on conflict resolution, liability and command, team building-labor/management, size-up and dynamic risk assessment, street-smart tactics, incident reviews of multialarm fires, and more.

Developing the Complete Company Officer
Battalion Chief Michael Barakey, Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Department
How do we identify, select, and train our next officer core? We identify, select, and hire new recruits or other fire service members in a systematic manner, so why not the company officer? Does your department expect competent decisions from new officers but offer no proven methods and models to identify and select your next officer core? Then, provide that group with training in the form of a formal academy. This workshop will provide several models to assist in the identification and selection of future company officers as well as show how a build a modular captain’s academy for volunteer and career departments from scratch. The purpose is to identify, select, and develop company officers in today’s fire service.

Essentials of Fire Investigation
Operations Systems Manager Adrian Cales, PSEG
The objective of this workshop is to demonstrate that a complete investigation of every fire scene is of paramount importance, and that you should investigate all fire scenes--large and small-- with the same degree of thoroughness and in a detailed and in a complete manner. This process will ensure that you don’t overlook any portion of the scene and that the final fire investigation report the fire investigator generates is complete, thorough, and detailed enough for use in criminal or civil litigation. Using photographs from several fire scenes that have been set up and used in prior FDIC "Fire Investigation" HOT programs as the demonstrative examples for this presentation, the students will be taken through these fire scene investigations as if they were conducting the investigation. The students will be provided with a format they can use in their own jurisdictions that will enable them to perform a detailed and comprehensive fire scene investigation and will provide them with the essential elements of the investigation they should include in every fire scene.

Fire Dynamics in Structures
Fire Protection Engineer Daniel Madrzykowski, National Institute of Standards and Technology
This presentation will discuss how building geometry, furnishings, and firefighting tactics can influence fire growth and spread, leading to untenable conditions for firefighters. Horizontal ventilation and exterior attack will be featured tactics. Students will get an inside view of the fire progression through structures to match what they may see on the outside during size-up. Fire behavior or fire dynamics are based on the fundamental relationship between fuel, oxygen and heat--i.e., the fire triangle. The type of fuel, the location of fuel in the room, the geometry of the fuel, building construction, and ventilation can have a significant effect on the speed of fire growth and spread. Students will examine early stage fire conditions relative to building occupant tenability and learn how to improve firefighter safety by improving their knowledge of fire behavior and fire control.

Firefighter and Fire Officer Survival
Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department
This workshop will provide organizational risk management training for fire officers on what they can do immediately to avoid/minimize incidents from going horribly wrong. It focuses on the "foundation" of a successful fire department and presents ideas you can bring home to your department. It will feature an in-depth look (using video, slides, audio, and lecture) at numerous recent incredible firefighter close calls and fatalities with solutions to avoid them. While it may be easy to "blame" the chief--and the chief may often be responsible--the fire officer plays the most critical role in the survival of the members operating at a fire. We will demonstrate that the fire officer can be the strongest or weakest link in a fire department’s (and its personnel’s) ability to survive.

Fireground Commander
Battalion Chief (Ret.) John Salka, Fire Department of New York
This workshop examines the important skills and abilities a chief needs to conduct a safe and effective fireground operation. There is more to it than just setting up a command board and collecting accountability tags. Learn the vital skills you need to maintain and practice at every structural fire, including establishing and maintaining command, effective and proper communications, staying ahead of the fire, calling for help early, staying on top of the attack hoseline, being prepared to relieve units, and pressing the attack or pulling members out. Learn to conduct a safe and effective fireground operation.

Hazmat: Initial Approach and Actions
Assistant Chief Kristina Kreutzer, Mill Creek (DE) Fire Company
Understanding a hazardous material is like understanding the nature of fire. By systematically plotting the key physical and chemical properties of a material, a quick assessment can be done, which aids in tactical decisions such as determining the size of exclusion zones, choosing protective equipment, and developing material management strategies. A proper size-up provides key data. Hazmat incidents can lead to information overload. By using simple information management strategies and simple tools to interpret information, responders can avoid paralysis by analysis and initiate a sound response plan.

High-Rise Operations
Battalion Commander (Ret.) Gerald Tracy, Fire Department of New York
The challenge of operating in structures considered high-rise or low-rise when used commercially demands the disciplines of procedures that go far beyond routine operations. Many cities, large and small, are experiencing a tremendous growth in such structures because real estate space has become a premium commodity and availability is declining. The presentation will cover preplanning and how to fit the cooperation and duties of building owners and managing agents into the plan of operations. The strategies and tactics will be explained, and controlling smoke movement, search, and rescue will be outlined, as well as the command system that supports operations. Learn the results of the latest research on smoke control conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in partnership with the FDNY. This presentation will reinforce or answer many questions you have regarding your current procedures or future planning and implementation of high-rise operations for your department.

History and Future of Ventilation Operations
Firefighter John Ceriello, Fire Department of New York
Learn about the evolution of ventilation, what today's practices are, and where we are heading and why. Also learn about the current practices on numerous types of buildings and, based on the latest research, where this most basic concept will be heading. This information will change your perspective forever on why we do what we do when ventilating a structure.

Progressive Leadership for Fire Officers
Chairman of the Board of Director Dennis Compton, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
The objective of this session is to enhance the effectiveness of current and future fire officers of all ranks--career and volunteer. This session explores key fire officer leadership, supervisory, and management behaviors and skills that will improve fire officers’ effectiveness and the performance of those they lead. Enhancing the development of current and future fire officers is perhaps the greatest contribution we can make to our fire departments, including service delivery and support systems. Current and future fire officers will benefit from attending this session and will be able to apply elements of what they learn immediately on returning to their departments.

Reducing Apparatus Cost with Generic Specifications
Battalion Chief (Ret.) William Peters, Jersey City (NJ) Fire Department
With the current state of the economy resulting in cities and towns having to reduce their fire department budgets, it is essential that we get the best apparatus at the best price. We will discuss the boilerplate items that cost money, evaluating wants vs. needs of apparatus purchasing, and how to turn a manufacturer’s proposal into your generic specification. This course shows prospective apparatus purchasers how to save money on their project without sacrificing safety or efficiency.

Safely Responding to Hybrid Vehicles
Lieutenant Jason Emery, Waterbury (CT) Fire Department
With the increasing popularity of hybrid vehicles and the nationwide release of two electric vehicles last year, it is imperative that emergency responders train to respond to incidents involving these vehicles. This workshop will take an in-depth look at the systems in these vehicles and how they impact emergency operations. It covers identification methods, vehicle systems and hazards, response procedures, and much more. Attendees will gain the knowledge required to safely work around these vehicles and to educate other members of their departments on how to handle their presence on our roads.

Suburban Fire Tactics
Captain/Training Officer Jim Silvernail, Metro West (MO) Fire Protection District
This presentation is designed to stimulate the suburban firefighter’s thinking process toward the necessity of developing and establishing effective preferred operating methods for structural firefighting. It will focus on how the rest of the country has to deal with understaffing and adaptive strategic practices to establish consistent operations. The presentation focuses on the essential fire department functions required on the fireground and prioritizing them, the external and internal factors that affect fire service delivery for suburban-based firefighting, and why it is critical to realize your agency’s capabilities and apply them to the prioritization of fireground needs.

To Hell and Back Train the Trainer
Interim Chief Tom DeMint, Poudre (CO) Fire Authority
This workshop prepares students to become instructors or facilitators of the To Hell and Back firefighter safety programs. It provides the tools for using a nationally recognized program that was built by firefighters for firefighters. The free program, developed with Department of Homeland Security grants, is a critical part of many fire safety and prevention programs. Many departments use these programs as part of their recruit and incumbent training. Students will acquire strategies for incorporating local considerations into national standards of best practices to achieve superior firefighter educational approaches.

Training with Online Simulations
Battalion Chief Frank Montagna, Fire Department of New York
This workshop will introduce you to online fire simulations, show you how to use and customize them to teach a variety of fireground skills, explain how to operate the simulations, and demonstrate a number of ways they can easily be integrated into firehouse and lecture hall training. The training will enhance your current training programs as well as offer the opportunity to engage students in interactive training in tactics, decision making, and fireground communications.

4-Hour Workshops: Tuesday, April 17, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Art of Reading Smoke
Battalion Chief (Ret.) David Dodson, Response Solutions, LLC
The "Reading Smoke" principles will be presented, and students will practice the skills using actual fireground footage. The instructor will lead participants through case studies, updated technical data, and group exercises that emphasize situational awareness and intellectual exterior/interior solutions. First-due rapid decision-making is the focus. Following the class, participants will be able to define smoke and its toxic and flammable properties, list the three-step process for reading smoke, outline street-tested shortcuts for rapid smoke recognition, and solve group tactical exercises using actual fireground footage.

Building Effective Teamwork
Battalion Chief Jerry Wells, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
The fire service has been described as the “ultimate team sport.” Creative ways to get your crew to “buy in” are imperative for a successful fire department. Training programs should be more than just repetitive drills and competency tests. Nontraditional approaches to positive team building and training are discussed. The specific philosophy of a successful college football program will be examined and compared with t hat of a successful fire company. Be prepared to watch some football. We will briefly discuss how our department has implemented a successful training program. As important as the training program is, developing a positive environment around the firehouse is equally important. Many departments, chief officers, and station officers neglect to address the value of each individual’s attitude with respect to the team and the mission of the entire organization. This program will use video clips from a documentary to provide an entertaining look at how training and fireground operations can be with the right attitude. Training does not have to be a bad word in your department.

Chief Problem Solver
Chief Richard Marinucci, Northville Township (MI) Fire Department
Whether on the fireground or addressing the nonemergency aspects of the job, the basic role of the fire officer, from the company officer to the chief, is to solve problems. A problem can be defined as something difficult that has to be accomplished or answered or dealt with. Officers may be dealing with their problems or those of someone else. Regardless, people can improve their problem-solving abilities with a system and practice. This session will present problem-solving techniques and offer case studies with interaction and role playing.

Fireground Decision Making
Chief Robert Moran, Brewster (MA) Fire Rescue
This session will provide an interactive forum to discuss how the key relationships, strategy, and tactics; street-wise size-up; and risk-benefit analysis affect the critical first few minutes of structural firefighting operations. By using the “Fire Service Rules of Engagement,” first-due video, and photo-based scenarios, the instructor will uncover the mission-essential importance of gathering and evaluating building intelligence, identifying potential risks, and weighing the benefits of the chosen strategy and tactics prior to committing personnel to operate within these dangerous environments. This program challenges students to use their existing knowledge as well as the training provided to make safe and intelligent decisions on the fireground.

Fireground Scenario Workshop
Chief (Ret.) Rick Lasky, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
This program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for firefighters, company officers, and chiefs to experience different types of structural fires. Examine fires in private dwellings, commercial buildings, apartment houses, and office buildings. Whatever your experience level is, you will certainly see something you have never seen before. During the fire scenarios, the tactics, strategies, and other factors will be analyzed and discussed. Students will have an opportunity to comment on what is happening in the scenario and how they might handle a similar situation in their own department. This will be an interesting, fast-moving, and entertaining program.

Fireground Tactics Take-Home Model
Chief (Ret.) Bill Godfrey, Deltona (FL) Fire Department
Fireground tactics are tough. There are many ways to attack a fire, and everyone has different staffing and unit assignments. Learn the secret of fireground tactics and developing a sound attack plan. Learn how tactics, strategy, and command fit together. See how staffing can change your plan. Better yet, learn how to apply it to your department and even teach it when you return home. Participants will receive exclusive access to download the full book and instructor software--including the teaching model, lecture notes, illustrated case studies, videos, tactics diagramming tool, and PowerPoint®-style presentation. This is the ultimate take-home!

Intelligent Firefighting
Captain Bill Gustin, Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue
We’ve seen the bar graphs and pie charts illustrating firefighter death and injury statistics; we know they indicate that although the number of fires nationwide is down, the rate of firefighter deaths and injuries remains fairly constant. This class looks beyond the statistics to examine why fires may not be as frequent as in the past but are often more difficult and dangerous for today's firefighters. It will explain why experienced, professional firefighters, whether career or volunteer, do not operate at every fire and every occupancy with the same strategy, tactics, or level of risk. Similarly, it will examine why fire operations in modern "engineered" construction require more cautious tactics than those traditionally used in older buildings. Learn why fires in commercial buildings result in a disproportionately high number of firefighter deaths, considering that residential fires far outnumber nonresidential fires. Several fires will be examined to identify and avoid some of the most common Mayday situations. Students will also learn factors to consider in an ongoing size-up that evaluates risk to firefighters against the intended benefits.

Leading in Volunteer/Combination Departments
Chief Ron Cheves, IAFC Volunteer & Combination Officers Section
As the demand for services outpaces a department’s ability to deliver service, many departments begin the natural transition from fully volunteer to some form of a combination system. The pace of the transition and problems encountered during the process vary and often depend on the leadership’s ability to recognize and deal with change. Volunteer departments have a number of service delivery options before considering hiring their first paid employee. However, leaders must know when the transition process must begin. There is no standard approach to transition from a volunteer to a combination department, but there are a variety of strategies that have been successful in many communities. Through an interactive process that includes case studies, this session will share several of those successful strategies and allow participants to engage in discussions to determine how they may apply experiences to address their department needs. Recognize the signals of change that would warrant the transition, Understand the issues and obstacles resulting from the decision to transition from an internal and an external perspective. Identify the team members that would be involved in the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases of transition. Be aware of the common pitfalls and issues surrounding the process to transition.

Leading With Attitude
President Eddie Buchanan, International Society of Fire Service Instructors
Firefighters leave the academy full of passion for the job. We get assigned to our fire stations, and life begins. Some maintain that passion for the job while others fade into a negative abyss. How do we continue to be the best firefighter we can be, even when others seem indifferent? This program provides tools to excel in your career, in spite of obstacles. It offers methods to help firefighters stay focused on the job. It discusses personal leadership and navigating the internal politics of the fire service, including managing rumors and challenging interpersonal dynamics; explores personal accountability, discipline, and the culture of the fire service; includes a focus on preserving our culture and traditions for generations to come; and allows participants time to reflect on why they love the job. Explore the power and influence of attitude as it relates to organizational effectiveness and firefighter safety. Develop an understanding of fire service culture and the core requirements to sustain that culture into the future.

Rehab and Medical Monitoring
EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy, Saratoga County, New York
This train-the-trainer session will prepare participants to deliver the International Association of Fire Chiefs Firefighter Rehab program using the Rehab and Medical Monitoring: An Intro to NFPA 1584 textbook and accompanying Power Points®. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the standard, roles and responsibilities, and nine components of a successful rehab operation. Examples of successful, practical, and working rehab programs in small and large departments are woven throughout the presentation. At the conclusion of this session, learners will be able to discuss the historical development of strategies designed to improve firefighter health and safety; discuss criteria for determining when to establish rehabilitation; discuss the role of firefighter health and fitness in rehabilitation operations; recall the roles and responsibilities of chief officers, company officers, and firefighters in the rehabilitation operation; discuss the nine components of a rehab operation according to NFPA 1584; differentiate between medical monitoring and emergency medical care in a rehab setting; and more.

Right Seat Responsibilities
Assistant Chief Mike Cardwell, Urbandale (IA) Fire Department
With today’s staffing limitations, young officers often lack the experience or an on-scene command officer to make critical initial fireground decisions. This class provides a template for taking size-up information, comparing it against building hazards and existing fire conditions, and completing a risk-benefit analysis. The result will be sound strategic decision making in the first five minutes, the most critical time frame for any incident. Students will be given incidents that require them to perform risk-benefit analysis and justify their decisions. The class also introduces strategic options for when a situation is not clearly offensive or defensive. Students will understand how local staffing, resources, and response affect initial incident decision making and operations; use clues gathered during dispatch and response to determine if initial resources are sufficient for incident potential; demonstrate shared decision making with the apparatus operator regarding response routes, apparatus positioning, and possible initial assignments; complete an initial scene size-up and 60-second update, and effectively relay that information to incoming units; and evaluate hazards common to specific types of building construction, building layout, and building occupancy and how they are likely to impact fire spread.

Safety Through Leadership
Coordinator Richard Mason, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
This program of the Everyone Goes Home Program of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is designed to assist in the reduction of line-of-duty deaths using a series of case studies. Each study will include what happened, why it happened, what could have avoided it, were safety measures available and used, and how can we prevent this in the future. This is a great program for senior administrative personnel.

Street-Smart Fire Training
Assistant Chief Brian Crandell, Central Valley (MT) Fire District Training
This interactive program will focus on developing and delivering training programs that result in improved firefighter performance in the street. The program will focus on training methods that have proven effective with all levels of fire service training, from basic firefighter training through advanced command training. It will help participants develop simulations and real-time drills for all skill levels, all with immediate practical application. The participants will also discuss their experiences in planning and implementing successful drills. Lessons learned, application of command functions, and firefighter safety will be stressed. The development of training programs and appropriate instructional and coaching methods, the development of a training approach to support firefighter learning rather than just passing a class, and the review and critique of the actual training programs and methods are also stressed.

Training Officer Boot Camp
Division Chief/Training & Safety Forest Reeder, DesPlaines (IL) Fire Department
If you care about your department’s training program and your ability to instruct firefighters, you need to be here! This intensive and fast-moving boot camp will explore the latest trends in teaching, setting up, and running a training program and making sure your program gets results. Learn how to conduct an on-the-scene training needs assessment, how to take those results and put them in action, and how to create training opportunities every day. Challenge yourself by bringing an open mind and being ready to improve your training skill set.

Understanding Fire Behavior
Command Trainer Ted Nee, Sandia National Labs
Examine ventilation-limited compartment fire dynamics, flashover, backdraft, and smoke explosion from a theoretical and a practical fireground point of view. The goal is to build better mental models of hostile fire phenomena, ventilation-limited compartment fire dynamics, and the strategy and tactics necessary to operate safely and effectively on the modern fireground. Emphasis will be on recognizing the critical fireground cues and factors predictive of hostile fire behavior. Students will receive a detailed instructor guide, copies of the student handouts, and a copy of the presentation to take back to their department.

Ventilation, Entry, Isolation, and Search
Captain Michael Dugan, Fire Department of New York
These basic duties of a truck company at a fire building must be performed to facilitate the engine company’s advance on and extinguishment of the fire. The duty of the truck company is to make this operation safer for all operating personnel. This class will be a review and reinforcement of the need to control and coordinate the duties of the truck company with those of the engine company.Students will understand the importance of ventilation, proper timing of venting, ventilation and isolation techniques, the risk when entering the fire building, various ways of making entry into a fire building, the importance of a proper search, and the risk and rewards of vent-enter-search of a fire building.

4-Hour Workshops: Tuesday, April 17, 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

25 to Survive
Lieutenant Douglas J.Mitchell Jr., Fire Department of New York
More firefighters are seriously injured and killed while operating at residential building fires than at any other fire we encounter. This dynamic and interactive lecture program will address 25 critical firefighting errors and issues common to the residential building. Learn sound tips and take home practical drills to address and correct errors at residential fires. Topics include combat-ready attitude, leadership techniques, SCBA confidence, overcoming building construction features (setbacks, long stretches), communication failures on the fireground, developing and delivering sound and accurate on-scene reports, coordinated ventilation, and more.

Command and Control: Doing It Better
Deputy Chief Mike Bryant, Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department
Do we need any more evidence that command and control procedures and processes are not being effectively applied and, therefore, are contributing to the failures of incident commanders? Continually, we see where another National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health injury/fatality report illustrates the common factors that incident commanders are not identifying while performing in the “seat of command.” This presentation begins by identifying what every emergency incident is driven by: “The Incident Priorities”! Once the incident priorities are identified, the development of the strategic and tactical objectives and modes of operation are next. The incident commander can now effectively communicate the necessary tactics/tasks to ensure a safe, coordinated, and efficient action plan. If you are looking for a command presentation that will thoroughly explain and demonstrate an incident command process that works extremely well during all emergency incidents, this class is a "must."

Dangers of Smoke Exposure
Chief of Special Operations Rob Schnepp, Alameda County (CA) Fire Department
This workshop with include a comprehensive overview of fire smoke, the combustion process and the new toxicants found. Learn how to perform atmospheric monitoring on every fire scene, which is critical to firefighter health and safety and why air management is the only means of preventing fire smoke exposure. The long-term health effects of acute and chronic exposures to fire smoke and appropriate treatment for fire smoke exposure--with the understanding that hydrogen cyanide is a new invisible enemy to firefighters and that antidotal therapy is available. Learn why hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide are known as “The Toxic Twins” (the synergistic effect of both is deadly). This workshop reintroduces firefighters to fire smoke, which will broaden their perspective on the short- and long-term health effects associated with inhaling and absorbing smoke on the fireground and how to prevent and appropriately treat the exposure.

Decision Making at Commercial Fires
Chief Les Stephens, San Marcos (TX) Fire Department
No decision made at a working structure fire this is more basic or advanced than “offensive” or “defensive.” No other decision can or need be made before the incident commander determines the strategy to employ. No other decision places firefighters in a position of immediate danger or calculated safety more so than this decision. You might think the decision to “go” or “not go” would be a simple and straightforward, but nothing could be further from the truth. Nowhere else is the potential for immediate catastrophic failure and subsequent multiple injuries or deaths more present than at a commercial building fire. This workshop explores the thought processes and criteria that may be used to formulate these decisions and combat the situation while keeping firefighters safe.

Fireground Tactics: Store Fires
Deputy Assistant Chief (Ret.) John Norman, Fire Department of New York
Fires in stores and other commercial occupancies are severe threats to our firefighters. More firefighters are killed per alarm in commercial fires than in any other commonly encountered blaze. The toll on a community is often staggering when a block of Main St. is gutted by fire or a major local employer is burned out. The reason many of the fires end up so destructive is often traceable to the fire department’s lack of preparedness. Many departments try to apply house fire tactics to commercial fires. This class highlights the differences between residential and commercial fires and provides tactics that have proven effective in dealing with them. It focuses heavily on some of the more common causes of firefighter deaths and injuries in these dangerous structures and offers useful tips on how to keep your firefighters from falling prey to these common dangers.

Firehouse Excellence
Captain Mike Gagliano, Seattle (WA) Fire Department
There is nothing quite like a firehouse. It can be the most incredible experience of your life or a miserable exile to purgatory. It can be a place of learning where skills are honed and techniques refined or a stagnant cesspool where competence erodes into ineffective complacency. What is it that causes one place to be cohesive and brimming with camaraderie while just down the road there are dissension and drudgery? Learn five key areas that can turn any firehouse into the type of place that enables firefighters to thrive and fulfill their calling. This class will present a high energy, no-nonsense look at how to build and enjoy the type of firehouse everyone wants.

From the Jump Seat to the Right Seat
Deputy District Chief Steve Chikerotis, Chicago (IL) Fire Department
The instructor delivers a colorful presentation loaded with fire case studies and lessons learned from his personal experiences in 33 years of crawling hallways with the Chicago Fire Department. Each incident is brought to life through exciting pictures and video. Each story reinforces powerful lessons learned. Topics include tactical decision making, coordinated fire attack, rescue, risk management, reading smoke, construction and collapse, flashover, communications, and accountability. The goal of the class is to increase fireground safety and efficiency through the use of enhanced leadership abilities and coordinated tactics.

Green Buildings
Assistant Chief Ron Spadafora, Fire Department of New York
The presentation will provide an overview of green building construction technology and how it impacts firefighting operations. It will give chief officers, company officers, firefighters, fire prevention inspectors, fire protection engineers, and private sector fire protection/safety personnel a general understanding of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System features from a firefighting and fire protection perspective. This presentation will stimulate the need for additional knowledge on the subject through research, on-site drills, and building inspection. Information presented will enhance firefighter operational procedures, safety measures, and fire prevention practices at green building construction sites and structures.

High-Rise Operations
District Chief David McGrail, Denver (CO) Fire Department
For most firefighters and most fire departments, high-rise fires and operations are a very rare occurrence. Although rare, fireground operations in high-rise buildings are extremely complicated and dangerous. They are truly “low-frequency, high-hazard” events. Because of a very limited opportunity to gain practical experience, most fire departments and firefighters must rely on the lessons learned from real world high-rise fire case studies. We have countless events from the past several years that reinforce how we must operate at these fires and the appropriate tools and equipment necessary to achieve operational success and firefighter safety. This workshop will give attendees a solid foundation on which to build a successful high-rise plan for their respective fire departments. From proactive training to attack on the fire floor, this workshop is loaded with quality, realistic information and operational procedures.

Managing Rescue Operations
Battalion Chief Larry Collins, Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department
A view of challenging rescue operations and some tried-and-true “best practices” for managing them. This is an opportunity for first responders and rescue specialists to examine emerging rescue challenges and consider how they are being overcome by departments across the country. Case studies of recent major rescue operations and disasters provide insightful analysis from the perspective of a veteran rescue practitioner and commander and the opportunity for participants to brainstorm possible solutions and practice “game planning” for similar emergencies closer to home.

Mental Management of Emergencies
Chief (Ret.) Richard Gasaway, Gasaway Consulting Group
The purpose of this workshop is to improve your understanding of how to develop and maintain strong situational awareness and to understand how situational awareness is the foundation for quality decision making. Learning objectives include understanding the seven-step process for making high stress decisions in ever-changing environments; the three levels of situational awareness and how to develop and maintain your situational awareness in high-stress decision making environments; how unknown barriers can impact your situational awareness; five critical decision-making mistakes to avoid; 10 best practices for decision makers; and five ways to accelerate your decision-making expertise.

New Firefight
District Chief Pete Van Dorpe, Chicago (IL) Fire Department
Lightweight energy-efficient construction, alternative electrical supply, modern fuels, firefighter encapsulation, and staffing reductions have combined to make today’s residential firefight a dramatically new challenge for even the most experienced firefighter. This workshop brings together cutting-edge research and best practices from around the country to help instructors develop curriculum and tactics for surviving and fighting fires in modern residential construction. Research and testing by Underwriters Laboratories, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and others have resulted in valuable information on how modern fuels and building construction practices combine to produce hostile fire events that are more challenging, dangerous, and just plain different from those of even the recent past. The results of this research are accessible and relevant to today’s firefighters.

Next-Generation Tactics and Command
Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros, Sacramento Metro (CA) Fire District
This workshop is full of amazing incident command post video, bone-chilling radio traffic, and behind-the-scenes lessons learned from fires and rescues in apartments, homes, and motels. It focuses on what went right as well as what went wrong. Examine tactics and command in a whole new way that will give even the most seasoned firefighter new tools and perspectives. Regardless of your department size and staffing, you will walk away inspired with a new passion for excellence and a new drawer full of tactical tools to take home to your department. Students will “go inside the command post,” by way of footage and radio traffic of multiple incidents, including live rescues, fatalities, Maydays, and multibuilding fires. Dialogue between the incident commander and other officers inside the command post will be analyzed. The workshop will break down the key points of task, tactical, and strategic levels of an incident in a new way. Students will learn the key points of successful tactics and command and how to set up their department for success before the incident.

Officer Development Programs
Deputy Chief Rudy Horist, McHenry Township (IL) Fire Protection District
This workshop links certification training with realistic job requirement training. Workshop participants will receive guidance in, practical examples of, and in-class application in completing a needs assessment and building a framework for officer training for entry-level and experienced fire officers. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to develop comprehensive, realistic, and relevant officer development programs through a “learn it today, take it home and use it tomorrow” approach.

Think Like an Incident Commander
Deputy Chief Thomas Dunne, Fire Department of New York
What is an incident commander seeing, thinking, and feeling when he supervises a fire operation? Staffing, tactics, geography, and construction may vary at different incidents, but the one constant is the incident commander’s thought process. How is his view of a fire different, and how can his perspective make you a more effective chief, company officer, or firefighter? Course material is geared to illustrate key points in preparation, size-up, fireground decision making, and communications. The goal is to help fire personnel of all ranks make more confident and effective decisions at an emergency operation. Fire photos and videos highlight key points on how to respond to an incident in a controlled and organized manner and on performing an initial size-up on arrival. A common theme is the importance of maintaining a strategic view of a fire. The ability to maintain this "big picture" view allows firefighters to operate safely and more effectively.

Training with Technology
Division Chief Brian Kazmierzak, Clay (IN) Fire Territory
Integrate video, simulations, slide shows, and different types of media into your presentations properly. Make the most of your training delivery experience by including advanced video techniques and simulations. Learn how to capture video, integrate video, capture audio, use Web-based videos, and insert the videos into presentations. Use virtual reality-based simulations in your presentations, software, and hardware needs, and develop effective simulations that test the students without being overwhelming or unrealistic. Most firefighters and instructors think creating a simulation is as easy as throwing smoke or fire on a screen or creating a complex simulation. The best way to use simulations, however, is to be basic and have a set of objectives in mind. This class will be an interactive experience that will leave the students with the tools (most are free) necessary to create fantastic presentations for their next training class and to enhance the students’ learning environment.

Value-Added Leadership
Chief (Ret.) Alan Brunacini, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
The major reason a fire department is in business is to deliver service to Mrs. Smith--our customer. She remembers that we responded quickly and solved her problem, but most of all, she remembers that we were nice to her and her family. Fire department bosses must understand that the way they treat the firefighters is what gets delivered to the customers. Any behavior that Chief Smith wants Firefighter Smith to extend to Mrs. Smith, he must extend himself. The message of this workshop is very simple and very important: Value-added service requires value-added leadership.