Eric Snow’s keynote presentation wasn’t a study of his performance on the court; rather it was an insightful, down-to-earth discussion about how he came to understand what it means to be a successful leader.

Simulation training is proven in the aviation industry, and it’s beginning to become more popular within the fire service as well. In their seminar at FRI today, “Using Tactical Decision Games and Simulation to Improve Incident Command Decision Making,” William Sturgeon and Ron Tarr demonstrated how simulation training can be effective and discussed strategies for implementing a simulation training program.

Today, the wildland/urban interface (WUI) is exploding in size and population. But because the concept of large conflagrations destroying whole neighborhoods in a matter of hours is fairly new, many departments don’t realize the danger that may be lurking in their own backyard—literally.

No matter what job you have—firefighter, captain, deputy chief or even THE chief—it can often feel like a jungle out there. As such, it seems everyone, including you, could benefit from a list of “survival skills” to take with you on your journey.

By Cindy Devone-Pacheco
Attendees at Friday’s general session were treated to a morning filled with various inspirational leaders ranging from the incoming leadership of the IAFC to a former NBA star. Up and coming leaders were also recognized as FireRescue magazine’s 2010 Company Officer of the Year award was presented by editor-in-chief, Tim Sendelbach, to Lieutenant [...]

In his Thursday morning keynote address, Complacency to Catastrophe, Dr. Tony Kern urged attendees to challenge the way they think about responsibility, accountability, the value of experience and, most importantly, human error.

In his Thursday afternoon session “The 7 Cs of Volunteer Leadership,” Tim Holman explains the seven simple words every volunteer fire officer should always have in mind—words that will help you maintain your leadership presence through the ups and downs of running a volunteer fire company.

One exciting event from this morning’s General Session was a validation drill for the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).

Captain Charles J. Metivier, Rescue Operator Kalani Abreu and Rescue Specialists Roy Constantino and Francisco Garcia of Kaua’i Fire Department’s Rescue 3 are the winners of the 2010 International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award for Valor.

Prevention in the fire service is often relegated to a separate division; many firefighters look at it as “someone else’s job.” In her seminar at FRI today, Mary Marchone of the NFA built a case for why prevention must be a process, not just an activity–and that it is very much the company officer’s responsibility.