140th FASNY Convention: Third Annual Training Day

Thursday, August 16th
Training Day Schedule
Liverpool, NY

8:00 am
Presentation: Dr. William F. Jenaway, CFO, CFPS, CSP, MIFE
Executive Vice President, VFIS
see bio
“How Paradigms, Cheese and Purple Cows will Affect the Volunteer Fire Service”
The world is changing around us, however, the fire service continues to work in its own paradigm. We wonder why we don’t get the respect, funding, or members (career staffing or volunteers) we need to do our job. We continue to be mired in an obscure, even invisible position in many communities. Then we wonder, why we aren’t progressing the way we need to, in order to protect our “customers” in the future. Paradigms, Cheese, and Purple Cows bring to light the challenges and opportunities we have to make our organizations stronger in the future. The question is – Are you willing to make the investment to be successful? Bill Jenaway brings his 42years of fire service to vivid illustrations of what life can be, if you invest in paradigms, cheese and purple cows.

10:00 am
Presentation: Dennis L Rubin
see bio
“Dealing with Bad News Situations”
After spending more that two decades as a Fire Chief in several Cities, my Departments have had to face some very serious issues (to include murder committed by active duty members).  The Agency had to deal with each issue on at least two separate and stressful fronts.  First, was the immediate issue of the media coverage concerns and most importantly, saving “The Public Trust” of the Department.  Next, was the need to fix the personnel issues that loomed large in the background and throughout the Agencies.  This dynamic presentation will provide all that attend with new tools to be able to respond to unusual and unfamiliar situations that could otherwise provide a great deal of stress for any size or type fire department.  If you want to improve the internal operations of your Department, you will want to take the time to be with Chief Rubin as he describes “Dealing With Bad News Situations”.  This program is the basis of Chief Rubin’s newest book to be released  Summer 2012, “DC Fire: Its Not Just A Job!”.

1:00 pm
Presentation: Richard Gasaway
see bio
“The Mental Management of Emergencies: Improving Decision Making Under Stress”
Since the inception of the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System in 2005, the leading contributing factors to near-miss events have not been related to equipment, procedures or training. The leading contributing factors are related to flawed situational awareness and poor decision making. Likewise, the line-of-duty death investigation reports by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health continually identifies issues with situational awareness and decision making as leading contributing factors in casualty events.

Organizations with state-of-the-art equipment and sound policies and procedures are still experiencing first responder casualties. The solution to improving safety lies with improving situational awareness and decision making – learning how to see the bad things coming in time to change the outcome. The introductory program explores and discusses:

• 6 ways decision making can be impacted by stress.
• 7 step process for how experts make decisions in high stress, dynamic, rapidly changing environments;
• 4 essential components to making decisions under stress.
•  The role of pattern matching, mental modeling, and information chunking in decision making.

3:00 pm
Presentation:  Chief Rick Lasky
see bio
“Pride and Ownership: The Love for the Job”
Pride and Ownership holds no punches.  Chief Rick Lasky takes a hard look at the fire service and finds it short on the only element that makes it effective: passion.  Chief Lasky gives an upfront and honest criticism about the need to reignite the love of the job on every level, from chiefs on down.

Do you have what it takes?  Not everyone is cut out for the fire service.  It takes only the best to serve the public when people need help most. Pride and Ownership calls for men and women with honor and integrity to measure up to the task.

There’s nothing else in the world like being a firefighter.  Every day Chief Lasky remembers why his job is the best in the world and he brings that passion to Pride and Ownership.  Chief Lasky revisits the proud history and tradition of the fire service and reflects on the family values and brotherhood that have made firefighting a truly family-oriented vocation.

Program Features:

• Our Mission
• The Firefighter
• The Company Officer
• The Chief
• Our Two Families
• Sweating the Small Stuff
• Changing Shirts-The Promotion
• What September 11th Did To Us and For Us
• Ceremonies That Stoke the Flames of Tradition
• Marketing Your Fire Department
• Making It All Happen and Taking Care of Number 1
• Have You Forgotten?