Fire instructors play a critical role in the development of firefighters. When the recruit begins training, their first exposure to the fire service is the instructor. That experience can often determine the firefighter’s view of training and future classes. Looking back through one’s career in the fire service, or life in general, it is easy to pinpoint teachers and instructors who have made a great impact. What were some of the characteristics of these instructors? What was it about them that… Continue

Whether you are currently an officer, or aspiring to be one, understanding your strengths and how they apply to your leadership is important. We will spend several weeks delving into the strengths you bring to an organization. Based on the book Strengthfinders 2.0, this informal course is an opportunity to interact and engage your findings from the book. The key is the application. How do you begin to apply what is learned? We will investigate ways to apply the findings to your department. To… Continue

As many of you know, we here in the Cincinnati area experienced the loss of two of our own. Channel 9 here has initiated a Appreciation Day for firefighters on April 17th. Let's not let this be an isolated event. I believe this could be a time to, not only express appreciation to those who serve, to to expand awareness of firefighter safety. Get your community involved! If you do something for April 17th, please post it here to let everyone know of ways to become active in their community. Here… Continue

NOTE: Anyone can attend



Cost:$100.00



Dates: April 25, 2008 (1pm-5pm EST) and May 2 (1pm-5pm EST) This seminar is divided into two sessions.



Bombings, attempted bombings and bomb threats can cause extreme disruption, fear, and even panic in organizations whose personnel are not trained to handle such situations. Inappropriate and costly management decisions are often made due to a lack of organizational planning and a methodology for handling bomb threats,… Continue

Note: Open to anyone wishing to attend



Cost: $0.00



Link: Click here to attend



Bill will be delivering his real-world focus on what a new or acting officer must know to successfully communicate with their crews, supervisors, and our business community. Bill will cover personal accountability - with real world examples that have made a difference. Bill will cover a collaborative learning and… Continue

We are now beginning to take enrollment for Daniel Sharon's Seminar on Bomb Threat Planning and Management (8 hour class). I wanted to give you advanced notice to notify your departments and people you believe would benefit from the class. The course description is as follows:



About the Class...

Bombings, attempted bombings and bomb threats can cause extreme disruption, fear, and even panic in organizations whose personnel are not trained to handle such situations.… Continue

We are looking for people to teach classes for the coming year. If you
are an instructor and interested in teaching a class online, please let
me know. Please read the intro on the front page of the OFA site to
learn more about how we work. Got some knowledge you've learned from
your experience? Pass it on to others... their life may depend on it.

Hope everyone has a happy New Year... be safe!

There is now a place on the Open Fire Academy for departments to

exchange equipment. The concept is to network those who are in need of

equipment with those who may be able to provide such. The site is still

new so feel free to add to it. You will be able to search by state or

across multiple states.



The link is:…

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We are looking for contributors for the en.thefirewiki.org. If you like to write, like to edit, or contribute in any way, feel free to do so. Simply create an account, and you are ready to go. If you have any questions feel free to post it my page here.

South Carolina LLR released its report today on the Charleston investigation. The link below takes you to the article by the Charleston Post and Courier, the LLR Report and LLR Summary:

Click here

Welcome to my homepage! Training is an issue I am very passionate about. That is why I started the Open Fire Academy (www.openfireacademy.org.) It is a site designed to network fire departments and emergency response teams to share training resources and materials. As well, we offer courses for departments to utilize. We are offering to even provide training management systems to fire departments at no charge. We host it, manage it, and keep it running... the department just adds the content… Continue