The Firehouse Yak: Michael Hildebrand – Inside the Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation

Peter Matthews is joined by Michael Hildebrand, who sits on the board of directors for the Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation, which honors the legacy of Prince George’s County firefighter Jim Yvorra, who died in the line of duty in 1988.

Hildebrand recalled his longtime friendship with Yvorra and his dedication to the fire service by being an active member and book publisher in the areas of EMS, hazardous materials, operations and leadership. After his death, the Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation was launched to provide scholarships to those whose goal was to promote leadership development in the U.S. fire service. Since 1989, nearly 150 scholarships have been awarded to active members of the fire service who have crafted impactful essays in their response 

Hildebrand details the process to submit and the various resources available to applicants, including the top attributes of the scholarship recipients. They have also made available the Chief Alan Brunacini Special Project on Leadership, which provides a large award for an ongoing project to improve the fire service. 

Related links: 

• Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation 
• Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation Awards and Scholarships 
• Jim Yvorra’s National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Role of Honor page 
• Robert Burke’s Tribute to Ludwig Benner  
• Texas HEAT