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Archive for July, 2014

IAFC’s VCOS and TargetSolutions Announce Winner of 2014 Training Officer Recognition Award; Special Ceremony Scheduled for Fire-Rescue International

SAN DIEGO — Every year TargetSolutions attends Fire-Rescue International, it is special. The annual conference, scheduled Aug. 13-16 in Dallas, is one of the most important and well-attended events on the fire service’s calendar.
This year’s conference will be especially memorable for the 2014 Training Officer Recognition Award ceremony, which is presented jointly by the IAFC’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section and TargetSolutions, the industry’s leader in online training and records management.
Capt. Chip Everett Oshtemo Township Fire Department

Captain Chip Everett of Oshtemo Township Fire Department in Michigan edged out a large group of worthy candidates who were nominated for the special honor. Everett will accept the award, created to acknowledge exemplary conduct befitting a training officer, at a special ceremony during the VCOS annual section meeting on Aug. 14.

When Everett first learned he was being recognized for the training he delivers as his department’s training and safety officer, he was taken aback.
“I was really surprised and very humbled, I didn’t even know I had been nominated,” said Everett, whose combination department employs six full-time and 30 on-call members responsible for answering around 2,000 calls each year.
“It is always nice to be recognized for the work you do and the time you put in. But at the same time, I don’t know about having the focus on me, necessarily. We have a really solid group in our county and we do a lot of joint training. It’s not just one person, it’s a broader effort.”
That might be true, but Oshtemo Deputy Chief Rick Griffin believes Everett’s impact on the department and the Kalamazoo County Training Committee has been monumental. In his nomination form, Griffin cited numerous areas where Everett has gone above and beyond, including his work to help standardize training throughout the county, working with the NIST committee, attending the National Fire Academy and train-the-trainer classes to improve his delivery techniques, and many other contributions to the department’s training program.
“Chip continues to develop new ways to provide training,” Griffin said. “One of the recent additions to our department training is a ‘road rally.’ This not only allows our drivers to pick the best route to addresses, but gives the crews tasks to complete at each address. The team with the best time to complete all tasks gets rewarded with dinner. This has helped build teamwork and camaraderie. … His tireless effort to make sure we are one of the leaders in our county makes him the go-to-guy for not only our department, but for members of all of our county’s departments.”
The opportunity to work with the VCOS and honor Everett is a special opportunity for TargetSolutions, according to Executive Vice President Thom Woodward. The fact it’s all going to happen at this year’s biggest conference makes it even more significant.
TargetSolutions will be presenting its online system at booth No. 5508 in FRI’s Expo Hall. This is a great opportunity for attendees to learn more about the industry’s most comprehensive online training management solution.
“FRI is a premier event for the fire service,” Woodward said. “We find it very valuable to be an exhibitor. The FRI Expo Hall allows our prospects and clients to experience what’s new from TargetSolutions. We present live demos, are available to talk one-on-one and collect information about needs and interests. It’s also the venue where we have the privilege of recognizing the Training Officer of the Year, an IAFC/VCOS award TargetSolutions sponsors. Stop by our booth. We look forward to seeing you there!”
About TargetSolutions
TargetSolutions delivers cutting-edge software applications, engaging online training courses, and world-class customer service. The company was founded in 1999 and today there are more than 2,000 organizations across the country using TargetSolutions’ innovative technology to solve their training challenges.
About IAFC Volunteer & Combination Officers Section
VCOS provides chiefs and chief officers who manage volunteers within a volunteer or combination fire, rescue or EMS delivery system with information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism.

Recent Enhancement Simplifies Process for Updating Multiple Users’ Profile Information

User experience is at the forefront of every decision TargetSolutions makes. Even minor system enhancements are thoughtfully considered to ensure maximum benefit for users and platform managers alike. This is exemplified with a recent UX enhancement that seems minor in nature, but makes editing information inside Manage Users more efficient.
Platform managers can now right-click on a user’s name, after selecting it inside Manage Users, and select “open in a new tab” to edit that person’s profile in a new window. By enabling this cross-browser functionality, TargetSolutions has simplified the process for updating multiple users’ profile information. Now, changing numerous users’ employee IDs, ranks, etc., at the same time, is streamlined.
Manage Users gives platform managers the ability to edit, view and update their users’ profile information. The tool is easy-to-use and designed to give platform managers as much control of the system as possible. If you have any questions about the capabilities of Manage Users inside TargetSolutions’ computer-based training system, or this recent UX enhancement, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.
Platform managers can modify and edit details related to employees’ status, shift, job classification, supervisor access, credentials, etc. They can also create groups within their organization through this tool. 

TargetSolutions Provides Alcoa Fire Department with Powerful System for Tracking, Reporting ISO Training

Alcoa Fire Department in Tennessee may be a smaller-sized department, but it deals with the same larger issues other departments face. Questions such as, how are we going to keep personnel compliant? How are we going to make sure assignments are completed on time? How are we going to report training for our next ISO review? Those are the types of issues Deputy Fire Chief Jim Whaley was looking to answer.

As an early adopter to online technology, Alcoa began tracking training with a competing records management system back in 1998. The department still uses that system for incident reporting, but in 2011, Whaley’s team was ready for a more comprehensive tool built specifically for the nuances of tracking fire department training. It turned to TargetSolutions and hasn’t looked back.

Here are some of the ways Alcoa is effectively using TargetSolutions:

ISO Reporting: Alcoa customized TargetSolutions’ pre-built fire department ISO solution and delivered it to employees to cover training for driver, officer, hazmat, company and facilities requirements. Facing a review in May of 2014, Alcoa was able to compile completed training hours, generate detailed records, and report them exactly how ISO requested during the review.

“The TargetSolutions layout is right in line with the form needed for ISO audits. This made it easy to access everything they were looking for.”

Jim Whaley, Deputy Fire Chief with Alcoa Fire Department (Tenn.)

Generate Reports: Beyond ISO training, TargetSolutions has provided Alcoa with the ability to generate comprehensive reports on everything that is tracked — including overdue assignments, incomplete assignments, etc. — in an easy to digest manner.

“TargetSolutions’ reporting system provides us with a tool to determine how many assignments are overdue and how many are incomplete, so we can keep track of what is going on with training in the department,” Whaley said.

Alert Notifications: For all departments, big or small, it’s not easy managing expirations of licenses, certifications and credentials. However, TargetSolutions’ recordkeeping system features unique alerts to keep users and platform managers on top of deadlines. Whaley is thrilled with how TargetSolutions keeps stakeholders informed of personnel’s compliance.

“The course completion e-mails that notify us when employees have completed certain assignments are helpful,” Whaley said. “Notifications are also sent when deadlines for licenses and credentials are approaching to ensure we don’t let them go unnoticed.”

Custom Activities: With TargetSolutions’ Activities Builder, departments are able to deliver and document SOPs, policies, pre-training, or anything else it needs.

“Our department utilizes the application to schedule courses for individuals to review and complete the necessary pre-training for offsite training sessions,” Whaley said. “Another aspect we’ve found beneficial is if there’s a memo, SOG, or policy that we want to go out, we give it in an assignment and then require validation to know if there is anyone that didn’t read the policy.”

Thanks to a new approval in the state, Alcoa may look into using TargetSolutions for the Tennessee Educational Incentive Program. Departments are now able to use online training for 20 of the required 40 hours to meet their obligation. For now, however, Whaley is thrilled with the ability to track vital training.

“Thanks to the hard work of several members of our staff we have the system set up and the department is able to track training effectively,” Whaley said.

Pumpkins and the Uncompromising Truth for Firefighters

Uncompromising Truth for Firefighters

Blog by Peter Dove
Shared Values Associates

Have you ever been in a situation where you see behavior within the organization that is not right and something really ought to be said … but by whom? While homicide is extremely rare in the workplace, people have been killed for telling the uncompromising truth since the time of Christ and before.

What happened to the last guy who told the boss which cow ate what cabbage? In the workplace, it is usually perceived as unsafe to speak out, but what is the alternative?

There comes an opportunity for all of us – a moment of truth – to take a stand and say it, and most of the time it is the little things: She didn’t bring back the stapler – again. He needs a breath freshener. She shouldn’t have taken that tone in front of us all. He needs to think more about us and less about himself.

Sometimes it is the big things. Rather than tell the uncompromising truth, David Duncan of Arthur Anderson shredded documents for Enron. John Manville, Inc. knew about the lung-crunching of Asbestos in the 1930s, yet said nothing. David Myers knew about the fraud of reclassifying expenses at WorldCom in 2002. More recently, GM knew about the faulty ignition switches for at least 10 years, but senior managers said nothing and people died as a result. Mary Barra, now CEO, has stepped up to the plate and is doing what she can to make things right.

The funny thing about the people who perpetrated the lies is that generally speaking, they were honest people. David Duncan graduated high school with honors, was a church-going family man. David Myers also graduated with honors, was a family man with a conscience and was deeply disturbed about his misdeeds to the point of attempted suicide. Why do good people do cowardly, dishonest things that harm others?

The Pumpkin Story
There is an interesting story told by a dear, late friend and author, Lou Tice. He was at the Washington State Fair, an institution here in Western Washington held every September. It seems that in the Most Unusual Vegetable category, the blue ribbon was awarded for a pumpkin that looked not a little, but exactly like a jug. When the judges asked how the farmer managed to grow such a squash he answered, “That was easy. I just planted a pumpkin seed inside of a jug, let it grow, broke the jug when the pumpkin couldn’t get any bigger and brought it to the fair.”

The culture you work in is the jug, and you are the pumpkin. The jug is the context and people, both good and bad tend to conform to the organizational context, just like Duncan and Myers. Guess what the context was like among the senior team at Enron and WorldCom – arrogant and dishonest.  So, heretofore honest, upright people tend toward conforming to that jug. It happens all the time.

The good news is jugs are not good or bad, and you get to make the jug. How? The answer is through shared values and one of those values is telling the uncompromising truth. People deserve the truth, and when they haven’t received it, they feel betrayed and disempowered. An important teacher of mine, the late Stephen Covey said, “Unexpressed feelings are buried alive and come back later in ugly ways.”

As you read this article, picture a conversation with your workgroup about getting into agreement using these suggested guidelines. We’ve been using them successfully with companies for more than 20 years, maybe they will work for you as well.

Treat Others with the Uncompromising Truth
1. Am I discussing the issue with the other person within 24 hours?

2.  Am I asking the other person for permission to communicate?  “Is this a good time to talk?”

3.  Am I approaching the other person in a non-threatening way?

4.  Am I straight talking without intending to hurt the other person’s feelings? Is my language simple, understandable, non-apologizing and non-personal?

5.  Am I making a request of the other person and not a complaint? Is my request telling the other person how I would like it to be?

Proactively creating the work environment context means dedicating a conversation(s) among your workmates to gain agreement about behavior up front. There is much power in agreement. Create a covenant, a sort of contract, a meeting of the minds beforehand. Then, when a situation arises, which I personally guarantee it will, you and everyone else in your work environment are prepared.

You have a way to go, a principle centered method of how we are going to be with each other. When the moment of truth arises, tell the other person what you are doing. This reminder helps both of you get through a difficult conversation.

Please keep in mind that this covenant you are creating with your people is a process and a long conversation. It requires courage, character, patience and resolve. It’s risky and not something all of you will agree to as evinced by behavior. Nor will you accomplish this mutual understanding by next Tuesday, or even next month, but you may by next year.

You will find this or any other guideline difficult to establish because the uncompromising truth for firefighters will be tested perhaps daily, but testing is the only way it gets stronger. One thing is sure – you can’t build the jug you want without the truth. Though difficult to imbue, once this value has been institutionalized, it is very hard to kill off and know this … the truth will set you free.

  • Lasting Change by Rob Lebow, pp 64-69

About the Author
Peter Dove, is president of Shared Values Associates, a firm dedicated to corporate culture design. Learn more about Peter Dove at www.peterdove.com.

 

Revisiting NFPA 1403 Before Your Next Live Fire Training

If you missed Firehouse’s special webcast, “Revisiting NFPA 1403 Before Your Next Live Fire Training,” you can find a recording of the valuable presentation online at Firehouse.com.
On Tuesday, July 8, Glendale, Ariz. Fire Department Deputy Chief Chuck Montgomery delivered an important firefighter training presentation, which was sponsored by TargetSolutions. This webinar covered how departments can effectively apply the NFPA 1403 standard in their own live-fire training scenarios. Montgomery shared various lessons and instructions on how to implement safer live fire evolutions.
“With proper pre-planning and a detailed Incident Action Plan (IAP), as well as a focus on safety, live-fire training can be a valuable tool for the fire service and the dangers can be greatly reduced or completely eliminated,” Montgomery said. “As fire service leaders, the importance of setting the standards cannot be overemphasized.”
Montgomery said his department is able to assign TargetSolutions’ NFPA 1403 Live Fire Training Evolutions course, then track and report completions online.
“We use TargetSolutions to hold our members accountable for the training,” Montgomery said. “Members are required to complete TargetSolutions’ NFPA 1403 training course online. This guarantees that everyone involved has a full understanding of their individual responsibility and we have the documentation to confirm their participation.”

Prepare Employees for the Dangers of Working in Extreme Temperatures

Employees who are exposed to dramatic temperatures can experience serious medical emergencies. This video highlights TargetSolutions’ online health and safety training course, “Working in Extreme Temperatures,” which was created to educate personnel on how to prevent, identify and respond to these types of emergencies.
“Working in Extreme Temperatures” is featured in TargetSolutions’ OSHA catalog. The course’s regulatory reference is OSHA 29 CFR 1910, T8 CCR 3395. It features 10 learning modules and a 10-question exam.
If you have any questions, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

Video Highlighting Riverside’s Passtag Accountability System Featured in Community Resources

Departments using a personnel accountability system will be interested in this month’s top video inside Community Resources. “Passtag Accountability Training 2010” is a 13-minute video that outlines how Riverside County implemented its system.
Tony Meachem, training chief with Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Department, describes the importance of having accountability procedures during the video’s introduction. The goal is to eliminate tragic fatalities and near-misses when firefighters become lost or separated from their crews while inside burning buildings.
At the six-minute mark, the video shows a scenario of a two-story apartment building fire in which the department’s Passtag system is utilized. As the incident unfolds, the video shows how the system, which was built to meet requirements of Cal OSHA and NFPA 1500 and 1561, works to increase firefighter safety.
After viewing the video, George Gardiner of City of Charleston Fire wrote in the video’s comments section, “good refresher.” And Byron Sutton of Gordon County Fire Rescue said, “Thanks for this post. I’m glad to finally see someone take the time to make a realistic video on the use of the Passtag System. Stay safe!”
To view this video, please log in to your department’s TargetSolutions site and search “Passtag Accountability Training 2010” under the Community Resources tab. If you have any questions, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

Passtag Accountability Training

The video was posted by Craig Kodat of Riverside Fire Department and has been viewed more than 200 times. It currently has a five-star rating and is being utilized by nine different organizations. 

Interested in Learning More About TargetSolutions? Come See Us at an Upcoming Conference or User Group

TargetSolutions’ friendly representatives will be at upcoming conferences and user groups demonstrating the platform’s benefits. Please stop by and say hello. We look forward to answering your questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The month of June was the busiest month of the year for conferences, but July is another action-packed month. Highlighting the list of events is the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Conference, which is scheduled July 13-15 in Nashville, Tenn.

This conference comes on the heels of the exciting announcement that departments in the state of Tennessee can now deliver 20 hours of the required 40 hours for the Educational Incentive Program using TargetSolutions. 

“This is great news for departments in Tennessee that are already using our system and for those that are considering an online firefighter training system,” said Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager Johnny Roberson. “I look forward to demonstrating our platform and answering questions at the event.

If you’re attending the show in Tennessee, or any of the upcoming conferences or user groups listed below, please stop by TargetSolutions’ booth to learn more about the industry’s leading fire department training system.

National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Exposition
July 11-14, New Orleans, La.
Booth No. 240
Tennessee Fire Chiefs Conference 
July 13-15, Nashville, Tenn.
Firehouse Expo 
July 15-19, Baltimore, Md.
Booth No. 343
South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo
July 23-26, Raleigh, N.C.
Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association Annual Conference 
July 25-26, Columbus, Ohio
Fire-Rescue International 
Aug. 15-16, Dallas, Texas
In addition to the various conferences we will be attending, TargetSolutions will be hosting numerous hands-on training user group sessions during the summer months. Here are the events currently scheduled:
GEORGIA
Roswell Alpharetta Public Safety Training Center
Thursday, July 17 | 10 a.m.
11565 Maxwell Rd.
Alpharetta, Ga. 30009
INDIANA
New Albany Fire Department
Friday, July 18 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
316 E Spring Street
New Albany, Ind. 47150-3586
CONNECTICUT
Trumbull Center Station No. 1
Monday, July 21 | 6-10 p.m.
860 White Plains Road
Trumbull, Conn. 06611
CONNECTICUT
West Hartford Fire | Hosted at Town Hall
Tuesday, July 22 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
50 South Main Street, Room 400
West Hartford, Conn. 06207
RHODE ISLAND
Kingston Fire Department
Wednesday, July 23 | 6-10 p.m.
35 Bills Road
Kingston, R.I. 02881
NEW JERSEY
Burlington Township Fire Department
Thursday, July 24 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
1601 Burlington Bypass
Burlington, N.J. 08016
FLORIDA
Bay County Users Group
Thursday, July 24 | 9 a.m.-Noon; 1-4 p.m.
17121 Panama City Beach Pkwy
Panama City Beach, FL 32413
FLORIDA
City of Palm Beach Gardens
Emergency Operations Center
Thursday, Aug.7 | 9 a.m.-Noon
10500 N. Military Trail
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 33410
ILLINOIS
Elgin Fire Department – Station Six
Thursday, Aug.14 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
707 W Chicago St
Elgin, Ill. 60123
WISCONSIN
Oak Creek Fire Rescue
Friday, Aug.15 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
7000 S. 6th Street
Oak Creek, Wis. 53154