Peter Matthews talked with J.P. Moore, deputy director of the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), about their leadership development programs that place an emphasis on human performance for leaders during fireground operations and in-station situations.  

Moore details some of IFSI’s programs that look at training future and current leaders on dealing with incident command, personnel management and conflict resolution and how physical health is part of successful outcomes. IFSI connects students to telemetry that measures their vital signs other body systems data to help each one understand when their stress levels rise and offers techniques to help them keep calm.  

Incident command is a lot more that understanding fire behavior and personnel tracking, Moore says, adding that mental and human performance play key roles and are rarely taught to students. Moore explains how constant stress on officers can overwhelm them and what techniques they can use to limit exertion on the brain and body. 

Related links:

• Illinois Fire Service Institute
• J.P. Moore’s Firehouse.com contributor page