This class will describe the elements required to set up a productive Officer Development Academy for new company officers, EMS captains, and 24 hours battalion chiefs. Learn how to work within constraints such as available time, instructors, budget, and resources. The material presented has worked well with career and volunteer organizations and can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of any size organization. The requirements of today's fire officer demand competence on more than just the fireground or EMS calls. Incidents that cause scandals, demotions, career loss, and even line-of-duty deaths most often begin and end with a failure of leadership. The importance of preincident training, confidence building, team building, and leadership development will be discussed. Options for the physical layout of the classroom, schedules, precourse requirements, post-course training, and course evaluation will be presented.