Leadership Strategies for Community Risk Reduction - P200

New August 2010 First Pilot Offering

The United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy is conducting the first pilot class at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, MD for its newly developed 6-day course Leadership Strategies for Community Risk Reduction.

The pilot class is scheduled Sunday, August 15 through Friday, August 20, 2010, with students arriving on Saturday, August 14 and departing on Saturday, August 21, 2010.

Course Description:
This course is designed to enhance knowledge and skills necessary to lead and manage fire prevention, community risk reduction initiatives, illness prevention and health promotion at the local level. This course will give students tools and techniques to raise the level of importance for prevention within their organization. The course will demonstrate how fire prevention and other risk reduction initiatives can benefit them directly and individually in providing a safer work environment. Students will be guided through a process that shows how to strategically build support internally and externally for community risk reduction, the steps and activities necessary to sustain programs and how these come together to create effective risk reduction programs. The ultimate goals of the course are to develop fire and EMS leaders and managers who are committed, in word and deed, to comprehensive multi-hazard community risk reduction.

Course units include:
• Leading the Process of Strategic Community Risk-Reduction – examination of individual perspectives toward risk and LODD deaths in the United States versus other countries.
• Assessing Community Risk – identification of leading community risk issues through an assessment process.
• Community Risk Reduction as a Strategic Process – the science supporting how risk can be prevented and/or managed. Identification, justification and application of intervention strategies and the development of an implementation/evaluation plan.
• Challenges of Organizational Change - Identifying when change is needed, what type of change is required, and the best strategy for creating and sustaining the change.
• Building Organizational and Community Equity - How to build support inside the organization for risk reduction and how to build a positive relationship with the community.

Pre-course assignment: There is an assignment due before class which involves identifying local risks and reading assignments.

Student Selection Criteria: Individuals in emergency services, especially those in fire and EMS operations, such as company officers or field supervisors who have responsibility for fire or injury prevention and community risk reduction initiatives at a local level. Individuals assigned to fire/injury prevention or community risk reduction divisions/bureaus who are new to prevention or those who would like to enhance their skills.

Application Procedure:
• Students must complete FEMA General Admission application (Form 75-5, 2-page ) available on the USFA website – http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/nfa-abt1c.shtm#75-5
• Completed applications should be mailed or faxed by Tuesday, June 1, 2010 to:

National Emergency Training Center
Office of Admissions, I-216
16825 S. Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727

• Completed applications may also be faxed to the Admissions Office at (301)447-1441.
• Applicants should not make plans to attend the pilot until notified by the NETC Admissions Office.
• Stipends for eligible students are available for attendance at pilots. Attendance at pilot courses does not prevent an eligible student from obtaining another stipend within the same fiscal year.