SAN DIEGO – TargetSolutions, the leader in online public safety training and records management, and the International Association of Fire Chief’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section are excited to announce Brad Pinsky of Manlius, N.Y., Fire Department as the 2015 Training Officer Recognition Award winner.
Pinsky is scheduled to accept the award in late August at Fire-Rescue International in Atlanta during a special ceremony for IAFC’s VCOS members. TargetSolutions and the VCOS have teamed up to present the award each of the last two years.
“This is a great honor, it’s very exciting,” said Pinsky, who serves as the department’s assistant chief and was nominated by Manlius’ Mayor Paul Whorrall. “It was a great surprise to learn that I had been nominated and selected.”
The Training Officer Recognition Award acknowledges outstanding performance as a training officer, which Pinsky has displayed for years working as Manlius’ assistant chief and municipal training officer. Under Pinsky’s guidance, the department changed the volunteer staff’s training requirements.
In the past, volunteers needed 35 hours to stay current. Now, the department’s 70 volunteer firefighters need 50 hours – a 43 percent increase – and to complete a mandatory proficiency test.
“Since 2010, Chief Pinsky has written hundreds of lesson plans and has taught and led at least 50 drills each year,” said Whorrall. “He organizes two live fire events each year for the full department. Approximately 25 firefighters attend each Tuesday night drill and his lesson plans are used throughout the week to instruct the remainder of the volunteer and career staff.
“His hands-on drills are always active for everyone attending. For example, during the six-week rotation of vehicle extrication, Chief Pinsky ensures that there are four vehicles ready to be cut during the Tuesday night drills, and several other vehicles available during the week for the career staff.”
Pinsky, who works as an attorney for the Pinsky Law Group in Syracuse, N.Y., when he is not volunteering for Manlius, is well-known throughout the fire service as an author and speaker. He has published numerous articles and manuals, including the “Fire Department Law and Management Resource Manual,” and also hosts a monthly radio show, “Fire Service Court Radio” for firengineering.com.
“The Training Officer Recognition Award is one opportunity to recognize those individuals who have striven to provide their membership and the fire service as a whole the training necessary for members to perform at the top of their game,” said Norvin Collins, who serves as a VCOS board member and as fire chief with Sauivie Island Fire District (Portland, Ore.). “Assistant Chief Pinsky demonstrates those values both internal to his organization and the greater fire service alike.”
TargetSolutions’ Executive Vice President Thom Woodward agreed that Asst. Chief Pinsky has made a tremendous impact on the training practices and procedures of his department and said it is an honor to recognize him jointly with the VCOS.
“We look forward to FRI when Assistant Chief Pinsky will be recognized for his outstanding contributions to the fire service,” said Woodward. “This award is meant to honor someone who shares the same commitment to firefighter training that we do here at TargetSolutions.”
In addition to the Training Officer Recognition Award, TargetSolutions offers VCOS members a discount on the industry’s most powerful online training management system. Departments will receive $500 off TargetSolutions’ set-up fee, plus an additional 10 percent off user fees. If interested in this discount, please check online at http://learn.targetsolutions.com/iafc-vcos-membership-offer.
About TargetSolutions
TargetSolutions delivers cutting-edge software applications, engaging online training courses, and world-class customer service. The company was founded in 1999 and today there are more than 2,000 organizations across the country using TargetSolutions’ innovative technology to solve their training challenges. TargetSolutions is headquartered in San Diego, Calif.
For more information, please call 1-800-840-8048 or check online at www.targetsolutions.com.
About IAFC’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section
VCOS provides chiefs and chief officers who manage volunteers within a volunteer or combination fire, rescue or EMS delivery system with information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism. For more information, check online at www.vcos.org.
