“Going through not only the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation process, but also recently the Chief Training Officer (CTO) designation process, has made me a better chief officer and a better person. Having to not just live in the past, but focus on the future in the form of my career and personal goals, has forced me to be involved in continuous quality improvement. One of the many benefits of professional credentialing through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is that you can’t just complete the application, get your certificate, and then call it good. Getting credentialed (as opposed to just certified in something) now requires you to up your game, be as well-rounded as you can be, and be focused on the big picture. A rolling stone gathers no moss as they say, and being credentialed allows you to ensure you are the best you can be for your agency, but more importantly for your community and the personnel you are so fortunate to serve.”
Steve Prziborowski, deputy chief of administrative services, CFO, CTO, EFO, MS, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Los Gatos, CA, and also a Firehouse contributing editor
“The Chief Training Officer (CTO) designation for me has proved the benefits of professional development, higher education, community involvement and being measured against my peers. Additionally it has validated mastery of industry-driven training and learning objectives and has provided me with international recognition of knowledge and capabilities. Designation also requires all designees to be lifelong students of the fire service and leadership/management processes.”
Brian P. Kazmierzak. EFO, CTO, director of operations, Penn Township Fire Department, Mishawaka, IN
“Professional development is comprised of training, education, experience and continued growth. The CPSE Fire Officer designation is the only metric that captures all of the essential elements. I know when I see one of the Fire Officer designations in the post-nominal of a person’s name that they are a well-rounded fire officer and have been measured by all elements that comprise professional development in the fire and emergency services.”
Randall W. Hanifen, Ph.D., FO, FIFireE, captain, West Chester Fire Rescue, West Chester, OH, Vice Chair-IAFC Company Officers Section
“One of the most significant benefits of professional credentialing is the comprehensive perspective from which the potential designee is evaluated. In the fire service, we often focus primarily on technical skill performance, and while technical competency is critical to performance, the professional credentialing process challenges the fire officer to take a broader view of their professional growth to include education, professional contributions, community involvement and professional goals. This approach provides the fire officer an invaluable tool for gaining perspective and developing a plan for targeted and continuous professional improvement.”
Holger Durre, FO, battalion chief, Poudre Fire Authority, Fort Collins, CO
“The credentialing process afforded me the opportunity to perform a self-assessment and compare my training and accomplishments to nationally accepted standards; along with a review by my peers. This reflection allowed me to re-align my career path and develop a plan for continued professional growth and development. The network, training, and relationships that have been created since becoming credentialed have allowed me to achieve both personal and professional success.”
Rob Frampton MS, FO, NREMT-P, captain, Salisbury Fire Department, Salisbury, MD
“For me the Fire Officer designation was a great way to see my career as a whole, where it has taken me and what direction it is going. A huge benefit for the process was that I got my career in order and I can now pull things up at a moment’s notice. The 30 years of information from my career is now organized in one place. This made getting re-credentialed very easy. With the trend of more and more fire service organizations becoming accredited, it only makes sense for the company officers to follow suit with the Fire Officer designation, which can only prepare me for the next level as a Chief Officer.“
Jim Roman, Sr., FO, lieutenant, City of Brentwood Fire & Rescue, Brentwood, TN
“By obtaining my Chief Training Officer (CTO) and Fire Officer (FO) through CPSE, it has opened the door in pursuit of my own succession planning. This process has helped me identify and provided me an avenue to reach my future goals!”
Jeffry J. Harran, CTO, FO, battalion chief of training, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, Lake Havasu City, AZ
“The professional credentialing process conducted by the CPSE has been invaluable to my personal career development. Through the process, I have been able to form a plan to better serve my department and myself as a firefighter. After becoming credentialed, I have been afforded opportunities that I would not otherwise have known existed.”
Michael Schnaper, CTO, FO, fire inspector/investigator, Rockford Fire Department, Rockford, IL, Doctoral Candidate, Northern Illinois University
