Participation in this VFD/EMS management course is FREE to use as an on-line resource to assist officers and officer candidates to become more competent in their positions, however for those seeking certification, it does require a registration and we only have 100 scholarships available for those seeking certification. It is FREE to use on-line to all, with the explicit understand of the agreed compliance to this limited use and all provisions set forth in the Copyright Notice

The following are the various modules (classes) in the VFD Management Course curriculum and the lessons in each module. It is strongly recommended that you go through each module and lesson in the order they appear. Jumping ahead won't make you look smart. In contrast, you'll end up looking and feeling pretty foolish, because important concepts and information appear in previous lessons, that are essential for the comprehension and successful completion of the subsequent modules and lessons.

3. The Pragmatic Principles of Positive Politics

    4.    Becoming an Effective Fire/EMS Department Officer
           A) Dealing With H.E.A.T.
           B) Review of the First Four (4) Modules

    5.    Decision Making
           A) Three Decision Making Limits
           B) Four Levels of Decision Making Control
           C) Five Decision Making Methods
           D) Strategic Decision Making
                 1, Identifying and Defining the Problem
                 2, Gathering Information
                       a) Looking for Alternatives
                       b) Predicting Outcomes
                       c) Examining Risks
                            i.   Risk Identification
                            ii. Risk Management
                            iii. Defining Your Risk Taking Inventory
                  3, Making a Plan
                  4, Acting on the Decision
            E) Effecting/Affecting Others With Decisions
            F) Decision-Making Module Review Exercises

    6.    Values and Goals
           A) Values - Definition & Clarification
                  1, Personal Values
                  2, Company Values
                  3, Community Values
            B) Goals - Defined
                  1, Short-term Goals
                  2, Mid-range Goals
                  3, Long-term Goals
                  4, Personal Goals
                  5, Professional/Vocational Goals
                  6, Departmental Goals
            C) Achieving Goals With W.A.T.E.R.
            D) Effects of Values & Goals on Decisions
            E)   Module Review Exercises

    7.    Attitudes, Egos, & Relationships
           A) Attitudes Defined and Described
           B) Ego Defined and Described
           C) Changing Attitudes
           D) Dealing With Egos
           E) Managing Relationships & Roles
           F) Fighting Fire With F.I.R.E.
           G) Module Review Exercises

    8.    Management By Objective, Quality Circles & T.E.A.M.
           A) MBO Defined
           B) Quality Circles Defined
           C) Integrating Quality Circles with MBO
           D) T.E.A.M.
                 1, T.E.A.M. Effecting Decision Making
                 2, T.E.A.M. Values
                 3, T.E.A.M. Goals
                 4, T.E.A.M. Planning
            E) Policy & Procedure Manuals
            F) Module Review Exercises

    9.   The Process of Re-Education
          A) Implementation Methodologies
          B) Types of Re-Ed Practices
                1, Decision Making & Decision Evaluation
                2, Goal Setting & Goal Evaluation
                     a) Individual Member
                     b) Departmental
                3, Planning & Plan Evaluation
                4, Rules, Policy & Procedures, and Evaluations
                5, Problem Solving
                6, Disciplinary
           C) Re-Ed & T.E.A.M.
           D) Module Review Exercises

     10.  Implementing and Integrating Change
           A) Types of Changes
           B) Why Change is Difficult/Risky
           C) Methods of Change
           D) Climbing the L.A.D.D.E.R. of Change
           E) Module Review Exercises

     11.  Planning Processes
           A) Strategic Plans
           B) Organizational Plans
           C) Certification & Accreditation
           D) Operational Plans
           E)   Recruitment Plans
           F)   Marketing/Advertising Plans
           G)   Training & Drill Plans
                  1, Interdepartmental Drills
                  2, Intradepartmental Drills
                  3, Academy & Fire School Attendance
                  4, Special Instruction and Classes
                  5, Commercial & Industrial Fire Pre-plans
            H) Acquisitions & Improvements
             I) Action Plans
                   1, For Special Projects
                   2, For Fire Pre-plans
             J) Budget/Financial Plans
             K) Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) Planning
             L) Module Review Exercises

    12.   Research & Paperwork
           A) Research
                 1, Library
                 2, On-line Internet & Web Sites
                 3, Identifying & Developing Other Sources
            B) Paperwork
                  1, Detailed Company Meeting Minutes
                  2, Detailed Committee Meeting Minutes
                  3, Member Records
                  4, Financial Records
                  5, Apparatus Records
             C) Module Review Exercises

   13.   Administrative Officers - Roles and Responsibilities
           A) President
           B) Vice-President
           C) Secretary
           D) Treasurer
           E) Chairman of the Board and Board Membership
           F) Module Review Exercises

   14.   Line Officers - Roles and Responsibilities
           A) Chief
           B) Assistant Chiefs
           C) Captain
           D) Lieutenants
           E) Engineers
           F) Module Review Exercises

    15. Leadership vs. Dictatorship
           A) Differences in Leadership Styles
           B) Fire Scene Leadership
           C) Administrative Leadership
           D) Democracy vs. Bureaucracy
           E) Module Review Exercises

    16. Forming Effective Committees
           A) Committee Selection & Leadership
           B) Meetings vs. Brain-Storming Sessions
           C) Planning Committees
           D) Ways & Means Committees
           E) Other Specific Function Committees
           F)   Module Review Exercises

    17. Financial Management
           A) Budget Basics
           B) Income Sources
                 1, Grants
                 2, Fundraising
                 3, Donation Solicitations
           C) Expensing & Cost Accounting
           D) Developing and Managing Finances by Adding F.U.E.L.
           E)   Loans & Leasing
                  1, Low-interest Loans
                  2, Leases & 301 Tax-exempt Leasing
           F)   VISA/MC Merchant Accounts
           G    Investing
           H)   Accountability, Tax and Other Financial Filing Requirements
            I)    Module Review Exercises

    18. Public Relations Management
          A) P.R. Using R.A.D.I.O.
          B)   Local Newspapers
                1, Press Releases
                2, Writing Effective Advertising Copy
           C) Radio & TV
                1, Press Releases
                2, Writing Effective Advertising Copy
          D) At Fire/Accident/Incident Scenes
           E) At Special or Community Events
           F) Module Review Exercises

    18. Marketing, Advertising & Sales
           A) Marketing Programs
                1, Fund-Raising
                2, Recruiting Programs
                3. Intra-agency Cooperation
           B) Advertising
                1, Five (5) Steps
                2, Writing Ad Copy
           B) Compelling Selling
                1, Five (5) Steps
                2, Identifying All That is Sold
                3, Building Value, Alternative Choices, & Creating Urgency
                4, Sales - Using Decision-Making Model
           C) Module Review Exercises

    20.   Recruitment, Retention & General Human Resources
           A) Recruitment
                1, Recruitment Sources
                2, Recruitment Methods
           B) Member Roles and Rights vs. Responsibilities
                 1, All Members
                 2, Administrative Officers
                 3, Line Officers
           C) Retention
                1, Keeping Good People
                2, Motivating and Developing Good People
           D) Recruitment & Retention Using the H.O.S.E. Approach
           E)   Training and Education
                 1, Personal Growth Plans
                 2, Certifications & Certification Maintenance
           F) Personnel Records Management
                 1, Basic Information
                 2, Annual Performance Review
                 3, Special Incidents/Accident Reports
            G) Module Review Exercises

    21. Legal Issues
           A) Generally
           B) Standards & Accreditation Maintenance
                 1, NFPA Standards
                 2, I.S.O. Ratings
                 3, State, County & Local Certifications
           C) Liability
                 1, Negligence
                 2, Willful Misconduct
                 3, Apparatus Accidents/Incidents
           D) Immunities & Indemnifications
           E) Confidentiality & HIPAA
           F) H/R and EEOC
                 1, Recruitment Policies
                 2, Drug & Alcohol Policies
                 3, Sexual Harassment Policies
                 4, Due Process & Disciplinary Procedures
           G) Mutual Aid Agreements
                 1, Defining Clear Command, Rules, & Procedures
                 2, Defining Liabilities and Loss Compensation
           H) Evidence Preservation for Fire Investigations
            I) Evidence Preservation for Criminal Investigations
            J) Talking to the VFD/EMS Department's Lawyer
                 1, Legal Requirements Clarifications
                 2, Preventative Discussions
                 3, Documentation Readiness
            K) Module Review Exercises

    22.   I.T, Computer, Internet, Web Site Resources Management.
            A) Minimum PC Program Configurations
                  1, Word Processing Software
                  2, Spreadsheet/Accounting Software
                  3, Incident Reporting Software & Records Management
                  4, Training Programs
                  5, I.T. Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning (IT-DR/BC)
                  6, Outsourcing Maintenance, Service, & Programming
             B) Using the Internet/e-mail effectively
             C) Web Surfing
                    1, Resources/Bookmarks
                    2, On-line Learning
              D) Developing & Managing Your VFD/EMS Web Site
                    1, General Considerations
                          a) Content Requirements
                          b) Marketing the Web Site
                    2, Web Site Hosting
                    3, Outsourcing vs. Internal Management and Development
                    4, On-line Donations and E-Commerce Solutions/Revenue
               E) Module Review Exercises

23. Managing Mergers, Acquisitions, Consolidations, & Regionalization

24. Teaching Techniques

25. Certification Exam

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