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In my department I have been recently promoted to the position of company officer. I realized that my degrees and certifications did not prepare me the way I expected they would; I still had a lot to learn and I was not sure where to get this knowledge or how to find it. I wanted...

The Whole Person Concept is a developmental tool that fire service leaders can use to push firefighters to succeed in life on the job, at home and in the community.  The lives of our firefighters don’t suddenly end when they complete a tour and head home.  They have family...

How to Get the Most Out of Firefighter Lectures, Classroom Training, and Seminars If you’re like me, you’ve attended many firefighter lectures, classroom training’s, and seminars. I’ve had the privilege of training with many of the great leaders in the...

The job is not always peaches and cream.  Sometimes we need help to remind us that fighting fire is the most rewarding job in the world.  By nature, I am the type of person that needs reminders to stay on track and get back to the basics of the job.  Below are some of the simple...

You’re the Incident Commander of your fire service career! Not the Fire Chief, the Battalion Chief, Captain, Lieutenant or anyone else. You are!  Depending on how your department is configured, those people in their positions can help, but you are the Incident Commander of your...

We have all heard stories about firefighters that have struggled early on in their career.  Some of these firefighters overcame their struggles to have successful and fulfilling careers. Others saw their careers extinguished faster than a vehicle fire. Regardless of the outcome,...

  Photo Courtesy of Amanda Moore & Jake Olson Studios

The expectation and pressure on today’s chief officer continues to rise and it’s doubtful that this will change in the future. More pressure, more work, more stress, more challenges … the list goes on and on. — Fire Chief Les Karpluk (Ret.) Tip #3 – Never Give Up...

It’s easy to lead when everything is going our way, but the honeymoon generally has a time frame and then those unforeseen challenges seem to pop up when we least expect it. — Fire Chief Les Karpluk (Ret.) Tip #8 – Build A Support Network As a chief officer it is...

We will all face challenging times, now and in the future. If you want to succeed especially during challenging times, I want you to have something I never had: these steps. This information when implemented will help you as it did me. Tip #10 – Possess A Strong Desire To...