Graduate level Project and Journal

MSE 5201, Advanced Fire Administration 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Discuss the interorganizational component to the field of emergency management. 4.1 Outline why it is essential to continuously reinforce skills and knowledge in the field of

emergency services and emergency management. 4.2 Identify acceptable training competencies and training practices that lead to safe and

professional emergency operations. 4.3 Determine ways to increase professional development in emergency services and emergency

management.

5. Design incident documentation. 5.1 Determine effective actions that will be taken during Phase 3 of the IAP.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1 Unit V Lesson Chapter 8 Reading (Fire and Emergency Services textbook) Unit V Project

4.2 Unit V Lesson Chapter 8 Reading (Fire and Emergency Services textbook) Unit V Project

4.3 Unit V Lesson Chapter 8 Reading (Fire and Emergency Services textbook) Unit V Project

5.1

Unit V Lesson Appendix F Reading (NIMS textbook) IAP Guide Reading Unit V Project

Reading Assignment Fire and Emergency Services Administration: Management and Leadership Practices Chapter 8: Training and Education National Incident Management System: Principles and Practice Appendix F: Planning Responsibilities Checklist FEMA Incident Action Planning (IAP) Guide Phase 3: Develop the Plan, pp. 22-30

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE

Training

MSE 5201, Advanced Fire Administration 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Unit Lesson Training and Education In this unit, you will identify the requirements for continuous reinforcement of basic emergency services skills and knowledge as well as identifies the training needs for personnel. You will recognize the best training practices that lead to safe, professional emergency operations and the continued education of personnel. In addition, you will examine local and national requirements of new training and education efforts in order to recognize ways to determine acceptable competencies for training. You will identify advanced educational opportunities and evaluate the National Professional Development Model. Emergency services and emergency management administrators need the ability to make decisions and address team behavior, whether acceptable or unacceptable. As seen in earlier units, administrators address these behaviors based on different theoretical models or leadership approaches in order to build team cohesion. Good administrators may use several different approaches to motivate and build cohesive teams. However, how do you increase and reward professional development efforts? Smeby (2014) states that the responsibility for a department’s effective and efficient emergency operations falls on the administrator of that department. Moreover, administrators are responsible for the continuous reinforcement of basic emergency service skills and knowledge. How would administrators accomplish this? One such approach is through training and the education of employees. Many times, this is established through professional development that may be fragmented or even uncoordinated in some organizations. Because of this, efforts are many times duplicated, and training outcomes are not reached or even achieved. However, coordinated professional development will result in a highly professional service. Points to Ponder In a fictitious small department, new-hire employees of the organization are required to go through a 2-week training program that acquaints them to organizational policies, benefits, and work culture. However, once new employees have completed orientation, the department utilizes an online training program to meet the monthly twenty hours of training required for ISO (Insurance Service Organization) certification. Each month, a list of online classes are added, and an automated e-mail is sent to each employee advising him or her of the new classes. The online program sets the specific training objectives that can help implement training activities and methods, followed by an evaluation technique of 10 multiple-choice questions. Over several months of online training and very little use of skills, a firefighter was severely injured during a working fire. The union and others quickly began to blame administration for failing to identify specific employee and organizational training needs through the online courses, instead of a more effective assessment method. Administration cited it was due to fewer working fires, and the skills needed to fight these fires were less frequently used. Within weeks following the incident, several community leaders rallied to suggest that the department should implement training officers whose main purpose is to maintain continuing education for emergency medical services (EMS) and fire suppression that can adapt training methods to better fit the employees, instead of a canned program. In the scenario above, should the personnel have received updated training to determine their skill level proficiency, instead of just their cognitive ability to respond to questions? Smeby (2014) suggested that in small departments, it may be difficult to find the time and resources necessary for training. Hands-on training requires more time and effort to develop the lessons and administer the training. Your Smeby textbook lists several examples in order to meet the requirements of technical competencies, from partnering with other departments to outsourcing training in specialized areas. Should there have been a blend of training and education in the scenario to ensure that firefighters maintain skill levels in the aspect of fire suppression operations while also learning new skills? The comments mentioned by the administration are correct in that there are fewer working fires to maintain skills. Therefore, it is even more critical to use hands-on training for technical competencies. As seen in many professions that require high-skill levels involving muscle coordination, these skills will degrade quickly if not utilized. The online training utilized in the scenario is useful in yearly recertification requirements as well as obtaining certificates upon the completion of courses. Online training and education are excellent for earning credits and allowing flexibility to earn credits for college or certification programs. However, Smeby (2014) points out that there are some skills that can be learned best through a simulation. These skills can include emergency command, fire prevention, and EMS.

MSE 5201, Advanced Fire Administration 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Obtaining the knowledge and skills needed for an organization to be efficient and effective is the responsibility of administrators in emergency services and emergency management. Online training offers self-paced training that is very proficient and an effective way for students to learn and earn credits. However, hands-on training gives learners a deeper understanding of the technical competencies needed. Hands-on training can be seen in table-top exercises as well as scenario-based exercises where students are engaged through role playing, such as with the incident action plan. Nonetheless, all training and education, whether in small or large scale, should be as realistic as possible. Moreover, during any emergency incident, the ability to complete an incident action plan must be ingrained into those performing their duties through realistic training. There is little to no time to go back and review guidelines on how to complete the forms and develop the phases of planning as you will do in this unit’s activity. It is imperative that emergency service and emergency management personnel be able to create work assignments during the operational planning phase on the IAP.

Reference Smeby, L. C. (2014). Fire and emergency services administration: Management and leadership practices

(2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.