The Leader's Toolbox: 20 Tough Questions for the Fire Chief
Dr. Richard B. Gasaway talks with Fire Chief Rick Kline and Firehouse.com Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews about a program that the International City/County Manager's Association (ICMA) is presenting to their membership that examines fire department staffing and budgeting. The lecture that Gasaway and Kline attended arms city managers with 20 questions that could be presented to any fire and police chiefs to justify staffing, budgets, workloads and operations.
The two veteran fire officers say that this program is designed to dissect the emergency services based on inaccurate research. Fire and police chiefs who are posed with these hard-hitting questions can present results that may not be what the city managers understand and could have a serious impact on current department operations.
Here how proper education to local government, along with the citizens, can help dispell some of the misconceptions.
Whether or you are a fire chief, commissioner or firefighter, this podcast is a must-listen-to program to learn how to protect yourself and your department's resources from unnecessary cuts.
About the Author
Richard Gasaway
Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is an authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision-making processes that are used in high-stress, high-consequence work environments. He served 33 years as a firefighter, EMT-paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. Gasaway's doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and affect high-risk decision-making. He authored six books, and his contributions on situational awareness and decision-making are featured and referenced in more than 400 publications. Gasaway's training programs have been delivered to more than 88,000 students.
Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.
Richard Kline
RICHARD C. KLINE is a 40-year fire service veteran who recently retired from the Plymouth, MN, Fire Department, following 23 years of service as fire chief. He is a frequent regional and national speaker who covers topics that relate to command competencies and firefighter safety and health. Kline can be contacted at [email protected].