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TargetSolutions’ Firefighter Training Online Courses Accepted for Credit in Three New States

Minnesota, Kentucky and Missouri’s Regulatory Agencies Approve TargetSolutions for Firefighter Training Online

SAN DIEGO – TargetSolutions, a leading provider of online training for public safety agencies, has secured accreditation for firefighter training in three new states. Firefighters in Minnesota, Kentucky and Missouri can now complete various portions of their state-mandated training using the industry’s leading online training management system.online firefighter training

These approvals give TargetSolutions 11 states that accept its online firefighter courses for recertification, with others in the approval process, as well as 50 states that permit utilization for EMS continuing education. The 11 states that currently accept TargetSolutions for firefighter training online are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.

“Throughout 2015, we have been working with various governing bodies to ensure TargetSolutions’ online training courses for firefighters are approved for continuing education,” said TargetSolutions’ Content and Compliance Manager Lauren Crosby.

“We are excited each agency in these states has reviewed our content and determined we are delivering the type of quality training material firefighters need to stay safe and effective. We look forward to securing even more approvals in other states in the various industries we serve.”

TargetSolutions offers more than 1,000 online training courses, with more than 250 hours of accredited continuing education for Fire and EMS. The catalog features more than 60 hours of courses written to the NFPA’s codes and standards, including titles for NFPA 1001, NFPA 1021, NFPA 1403, NFPA 1584, and NFPA 1500 Series.

 

“TargetSolutions has been providing emergency responders with online training since 1999. Over the years we have worked hard to create a comprehensive catalog that is regularly updated and features engaging, dynamic content.”

Jeremy Lynch, Director of Content, TargetSolutions

 

Here is a breakdown of how much online fire training from TargetSolutions each state will accept for credit:

Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education: Approved 70 hours of training. Career firefighters in Minnesota, who need 72 hours of continuing education every three years, can now meet 100 percent of their recertification requirements with TargetSolutions.

Kentucky Fire Commission: Approved 81.5 hours of training. Firefighters in Kentucky can now choose from TargetSolutions’ library of training to meet 25 percent of their recertification requirements. Career firefighters in Kentucky need 100 hours annually to meet Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Fire Inspector and Fire Instructor certification levels.

Missouri Division of Fire Safety: Approved 26 hours of training. Fire Inspectors and Fire Investigators, who need 30 hours of training every three years, are able to meet 86 percent of this requirement using TargetSolutions; while Fire Service Instructors, who need 24 hours of training, can complete half with TargetSolutions.

If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ accreditation status in your state, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

 

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’ technology to solve their training challenges. TargetSolutions is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information, find us online at www.targetsolutions.com or call us at 1 (800) 840-8048.

 

Cardiac Emergencies Advanced Course for EMS CEs Features New Multimedia

TargetSolutions’ Cardiac Emergencies Advanced course has been enhanced with new multimedia content. The course features 15 learning modules and a 10-question exam.

With a comprehensive focus on all aspects of cardiology and cardiac emergencies, TargetSolutions’ Cardiac Emergencies Advanced course is a must for those in the EMS profession. With nearly half of the 600,000 cardiovascular-related deaths occuring before the patient reaches the hospital, emergency care associated with cardiac diseases is an integral part of training.

This course, which touches on the signs, symptoms, and the emergency medical care required for patients experiencing a cardiac emergency, has received updated content, enhanced multimedia, and a brand new audio track.

“Cardiology is important for EMS because as a nation we’re getting sicker, not healthier,” said Lauren Crosby, TargetSolutions’ Content and Compliance Manager. “The more we can push out information and awareness and keep our providers at the top of their game is really important.”

For more information on this course or others in TargetSolutions’ catalog for emergency responders, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

University of Colorado Boulder Simplifies Training Management with TargetSolutions

University of Colorado Boulder utilizes TargetSolutions’ online training management system to effectively track training records.

With training hours logged into a cluster of spreadsheets across multiple departments, the University of Colorado Boulder knew there had to be an easier way to streamline recordkeeping.

“We had people tracking training credentials and certificates in every department,” recalls Christopher Cox, the University’s facilities safety manager. “We had separate spreadsheets in every department and no one ever came together. We didn’t have a central location.”

In early 2014, the University turned to TargetSolutions as its go-to training program – and everything fell into place. Training records became centralized and compliance was simplified thanks to powerful training management features.

Utilizing TargetSolutions’ ground-breaking Manage Credentials application, the University has consolidated state-mandated training subjects into one credential, called Core Training, to more effectively schedule, deliver and track required training.

“TargetSolutions offered the best platform for what we needed,” said Cox. “The user-friendly part of it was huge and the customer service was great. The ability to do more than just track training…really took our attention and that’s why we decided to use TargetSolutions over the other companies that do the same thing.”

Would you like to learn more about TargetSolutions? Contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

How to Operate TargetSolutions More Effectively: A Guide to the Platform

Those seeking to enhance their knowledge of the TargetSolutions platform will find a great deal of information in this overview guide, “Tech Talk: Your Technical Information Guide to TargetSolutions.”

Distributed to attendees at the inaugural Risk Summit in early November, Tech Talk covers the far reaches of the platform, including site implementation, troubleshooting, and managing user data. The brochure is meant to serve as an administrator’s guide featuring tips on how to effectively operate TargetSolutions’ online training management system.

Divided into five chapters, plus a glossary, the topics discussed in the Tech Talk document are designed for administrators across numerous industries.

Please click here to download the entire Tech Talk document and get the most out of your platform today!

Why Firefighters Should Complete a Thorough Size-Up at Every Fire Incident

Completing Fire Incident Size-Ups
Performing a size-up during a dynamically changing event like a structure fire is essential. Information is changing so rapidly that your brain can quickly become overloaded while trying to process and comprehend information.

Blog by Richard B. Gasaway, CFO, EFO, Fire Chief (ret.)
www.samatters.com

During my fireground situational awareness classes, I talk about the process for making high-stress, high-consequence decisions. The first step in this process is initially performing a rapid size-up. When I ask participants how long they take to size-up a single-family residential dwelling fire with no exposures, the answer I get ranges anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds.

Then I challenge the group why they don’t take 5 to 10 minutes to make such a critical, high-risk decision. The answer I most typically get is “Because the building will burn down.” This may be true. From the perspective of brain science, the timeframe is the same, but the explanation is much different.

Performing a rapid size-up during a dynamically changing event like a structure fire is essential. Not because the building will burn down if more time is taken (though, as I noted, that may happen). Rather, it’s because in a dynamic event, the information is changing so rapidly that your brain will quickly become overloaded trying to process and comprehend information.

Think about it this way: If I gave you a sequence of seven random two-digit numbers over the course of a thirty second period of time, and asked you to recall the fifth number in the sequence, you’d probably be able to recall it with ease.

But, if I gave you a list of seven different, random two-digit numbers numbers every 30 seconds over the course of five minutes, and then asked you to remember the 18th number I gave you, your performance would likely be abysmal. Why? Information overload. Under stress, you’ll do better when you process small amounts of information versus large amounts of information over a longer period of time.

Think back to the early decision maker of our species, the cave dweller. Their genetic encoding of how to survive in high-stress, high-consequence environments is the same genetic encoding you have in your DNA. Imagine the cave dweller is out on the daily hunt for food. A predator is fast approaching and it’s game on. The “Fight or Flight” response engages.

The cave dweller is going to have a bunch of clues and cues to process in a compressed amount of time. But there’s really only a handful of clues that are going to be important to survival, perhaps five to seven, but definitely not dozens or hundreds. And while the scene is rapidly unfolding, it’s all going to be over quickly … perhaps in 10 to 30 seconds. The size-up must be rapid and accurate. Sounds a lot like a fireground size-up, doesn’t it? Your genetic engineering is working in your favor when it comes to making an accurate, timely incident scene size-up.

The secondary size-up is as important as the primary. Again, there is a misconception the secondary size-up is to capture what may have been missed in the primary. And while this may have an element of truth, from the perspective of situational awareness, the secondary size-up serves a completely separate, yet critically important role.

The secondary size-up should take considerable more time. Two to three minutes is not out of the realm of possibility. In addition to capturing clues and cues that confirm or refute the intuition of your initial size-up, the secondary size-up is your first opportunity to develop “Level 3 Situational Awareness” and predict future events.

The ability to predict future events is a catastrophically important the skillset for a commander or company officer. To predict where the event is going, and how fast it’s going to get there, you must first understand the SPEED at which the incident is moving. And every dynamic incident scene has a speed.

The secondary size-up, conducted over a minute or two, allows you better assess the speed of the incident, as you watch conditions change over a minute or two. Armed with that information, you can now make reasonable predictions as to whether the resources you have on hand are going to be able to outmaneuver the incident based on it’s speed.

About the Author

Dr. Gasaway is widely considered one of the nation’s leading authorities on situational awareness and the human factors that complicate first responder decision making. In addition to his 30-plus years in the fire service, including 22 years as a fire chief, Dr. Gasaway has a second passion: Uncovering and applying research in brain science for the benefit of first responders. His website, Situational Awareness Matters (www.SAMatters.com) welcomes 50,000 visitors a month from 156 countries. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

TargetSolutions’ Top 10 Training Courses for HR Issues

TargetSolutions’ online training library features valuable courses to educate employees on critical workplace topics.

TargetSolutions’ Human Resources courses are designed to supplement the course catalog by providing training that is relevant and essential to all employees of all industries. No matter what profession an employee holds, HR training is critical for reducing liability and improving productivity.

Employment Practices for Supervisors courses cover issues encountered in the workplace for individuals tasked with making employment decisions, including issues of harassment, hiring and termination, discrimination, evaluation and documentation.

TargetSolutions offers several courses that are mandated by the state of California, including Sexual Harassment for Supervisors (California AB 1825).

Here are TargetSolutions’ top 10 HR courses, based on the total number of completions:

  • Sexual Harassment Awareness
  • Workplace Diversity
  • Workplace Violence
  • Alcohol-Free Workplace
  • Drug-Free Workplace
  • General HIPAA Awareness
  • Customer Service
  • Workplace Stress
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Computer Security Awareness

For more information on TargetSolutions’ online safety training, please contact us at (800) 840-8048.

 

Get to Know Your Account Manager: Colleen Marchesano

When arriving at the fork in the road, Colleen Marchesano definitely took the road less traveled. Marchesano was a middle school science teacher residing in Huntington Beach, Calif. prior to her arrival to TargetSolutions in August of 2010.

Upon receiving word of a vacant position at the company, she jumped at the opportunity to pack up her bags and relocate to sunny San Diego for an all-new adventure. After serving in several different roles, Colleen is now working as an account manager with fire departments in the Pacific Northwest, as well as Alaska, California and Hawaii.

A devout mother and wife with a keen sense for the outdoors, Marchesano says her favorite thing about her job is having the opportunity to serve such a respectable industry every day.

“If I can help make the life of a training officer easier, then I can go home happy,” she said.

Here is more about Colleen from a recent Q-and-A:

What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

Anything outdoors. I hike a lot with my husband and son in the hills behind our home. Bike rides, beach days…we are the happiest outside!

What is your favorite and least favorite food?

I happily eat almost ANYTHING! But, I do tend to crave Mexican food every day. There’s only one food I can think of that I hate and its baby corn. They taste like dirt and I just can’t do it.

If you could relive any point in your life for just one day, what would it be?

Meeting my son for the first time. Everything about that day was heaven on earth. I don’t think I ever could have anticipated what that moment would be like and I don’t know how anything else can ever compare.

What is something that you’re most proud of?

Surviving motherhood for one whole year! In all honesty I am proud of the mom that I am. I have dreamt of being a mother for so long and have loved everything about it so far. The challenges that come along with motherhood are some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to face, but overcoming them is the most rewarding feeling.

If you could time travel to any era, when and where would you go?

If I could live in any era I would LOVE to be able to experience the 20s in Chicago. It was a time of such artistic explosion and industrial growth and not to mention woman suffrage! I can just picture myself at jazz lounges dancing the night away in a flapper dress … man, that sounds amazing, doesn’t it?

What is something about you that others may not know?

In middle school, one of our PE units was archery. I was, and still am, the only female to ever get three bullseyes in a row, which earned me a Golden Arrow award (I still have it; it’s an actual arrow that is painted gold) and a spot in the yearbook. We’re talking about a school that is over 50 years old! Impressive, right? The one thing people do already know about me is I am super competitive so obviously you can see why I am still proud of this little known fact about me.

How Effective Coaching Can Help Employees Thrive

Effective Coaching Helps Employees Thrive
Effective coaching can have a huge impact on the success of an organization.

Blog by Peter Dove

Shared Values Associates

Breakthroughs in innovation come from new thought. Henry Flagler gave John D. Rockefeller invaluable insight that made Standard Oil possible, which in 1879 produced 90 percent of the refined oil in the U.S. Tim Paterson made it possible with his Windows innovation to make Bill Gates one of the richest and influential men in history. Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples had Butch Harmon and Ford had Harry Levinson. Coaching is concerned with innovation, development and the facilitation of new thought. W. Edwards Deming said, “Nothing changes without personal transformation.”

As you see on the International Coach Federation’s website, there are a number of different kinds of coaching within this field; business, internal, leadership, life vision and executive coaching to name a few.  When selecting a coach it makes best sense that the coach be in compliance with the 11 core competencies the ICF has defined as best practice. The ICF is the coaching organization that is recognized worldwide as the standard in this space.

Coaching constitutes an ongoing conversation that empowers a person or team to fully live out their calling – in their life and profession.

For a leader, the chief outcome of executive coaching is to manifest high performing direct reports and then mobilize, lead and guide those people to a keen internal vision. For either the leader or the key person with few or no direct reports, coaching allows for enlightenment followed by action. The idea is for the participant through expert prompting to listen to the inner self in order to develop insight and understanding since most often they do have the answers. Then the participant can take specific action to reshape their life around that learning to, among other important things, facilitate a culture of high performance, which is an essential role of an executive.

Coaching is for those executives who are in ascension, often referred to as “High Potentials.” It is also for solid performers, whom one would like to reward. Coaching is also for those in regression, who are successful in certain aspects of their job but struggle in others.  The coaching relationship is expected to produce insights, greater personal awareness, changed behaviors, actions, and ultimately results that are satisfactory to the participant, their direct reports, and the expectations set by the organization.

Much is expected of the participant in this coaching process. Self-evaluation, reasoning, imagination, making decisions about a new direction, courage to look at and own faults as well as courage to own successes all resulting in significant behavior change toward established goals. The point of this exercise is implementation of new insight and behavior in order to move to the next level. The focus of executive coaching is on the participant – their goals, their learning and their growth. The participant’s accountability is a willingness to learn, change and grow.

Coaching is learning – rather than teaching.

The Participant is the expert on their life. Coaching techniques such as active listening, open questions, encouragement, and best practices management training where needed and challenging the participant are used. The coach is supportive and assists in discovering insights, facilitates change and next steps.

Coaching is action.

There are a number of models but often there are 10 or so one hour sessions, two weeks apart. In a session the participant determines 1-3 actions steps to take before the next session. Progress can be quick. The participant focuses on their life – not just their work. We all know that changing old habits and thought patterns are difficult but necessary for growth. The coach holds the participant accountable to the action steps.

Here are some important distinctions. Coaching is not therapy. Although many of the communication techniques are the same; like active listening, reflecting, use of questions, some advice giving, etc. Therapy focuses on the past to bring healing and unblock a person to move ahead. Coaching is future and action-oriented for healthy people who are fundamentally clear of psychological and emotional issues.

Coaching is not mentoring.

Mentors are experts in a particular field who seek to pass on their expertise to a person. Mentors provide knowledge, advice, guidance, correction, and encouragement. They may use some coaching techniques, but mentors usually play the role of advisor and teacher to guide and impart knowledge and wisdom. While there will be mentoring moments, time with the participant will be largely around coaching.

In coaching the emphasis is not training though training does take place. Coaching is more focused on the participant’s agenda within their scope as an executive. Coaches use adult learning principles of self-discovery and awareness to motivate change from within the participant.

Coaching is not authoritarian.

Picture the tough sports coach who screams and then demands pushups for mistakes. That is not coaching. The coach may push beyond what might be thought reasonable, but should always be supportive. The Participant is in control. The responsibility to decide and act is theirs. Coaching is effective because it brings out the participant’s best. Again, the participant can create their own answers if facilitated properly.

Here is an example of a coaching best practice process.

1. Assessment: First of all the participant must assess if the coach is a good fit for them, it’s their decision. From that point it is best for the participant to take a self-assessment. There are a number of these on the market. I use the Harrison Assessment as well as a multi-rater called the Leadership Impact Survey by Impact Achievement Group (www.impactachievement.com), so the participant can receive feedback from their workplace as to their management/contribution acumen. As with a map, in order to get to point B one must assess where they are, that is: point A. Prescription before diagnosis is called malpractice. Assessments provide essential additional data used to flesh out what areas specifically the participant may want to develop in order to go to the next level.

2. Outcomes: Based upon assessments and conversation the participant and their boss decide what outcomes make best sense to pursue always with the focus on creating a work environment that facilitates insight and high performing direct reports. Sustained high performance necessitates a high trust culture.

3. Awareness: In order to grow, change and become more it is necessary to increase self-awareness and this is another key role of the coach; to facilitate awareness.

4. Action Plan: Faith without works is dead. Commitment to sustained action is necessary if any progress is to be made. This is a process and will be one of trial and error at times because the territory for the participant will often be new.

5. Delivery: Finally, through this process lasting change will be achieved. The hope is breakthrough and a new door opened such that the participant wins big as do others in the culture. The coach ought to report to the sponsor (boss) during and after the process as to progress while maintaining confidentiality.

6. Re-assess: Now it is time to re-assess, measure progress, reflect on lessons learned and consider any next steps.

Why use a coach? The reasons people want coaching are many and as unique as the person. Here are just 20 examples that motivate people to use a coach.

1. Making significant change

2. Career path planning

3. Developing the team and improving the culture

4. Dealing with problem employees

5. Having difficult conversations

6. Holding others accountable

7. Asserting self

8. Dealing with uncertainty

9. Making better decisions

10. Setting better goals and reaching them faster

11. Dealing with fear and gaining perspective

12. Facilitation of high performing direct reports

13. Getting organized

14. Having someone to talk to

15. Improving relationships on and off the job

16. Having peace of mind

17. Dealing with set backs

18. Being more influential and learning management best practices

19. Building collaboration

20. Simply being a better executive and leader

To bring this home, circle three that stands out to you. The coaching relationship is exciting, filled with little and big breakthroughs and allows for a life of continued success, joy and fulfillment.

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.

 

 

Summit’s Keynote Speaker Encourages Safety Managers to ‘Trust the Process,’ Create Safety Culture

Safety expert Kevin Burns delivered the special keynote presentation at the Risk Summit on Nov. 2 at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, Calif. Burns covered his philosophy on how organizations can build an engaged culture of safety in the workplace.

For safety expert Kevin Burns, workplace safety comes down to three key words: Trust the process.

Burns believes safety will always be an evolving part of an organization’s operational effectiveness. With this in mind, safety and training managers need to instill a process that educates employees on how to be safer in the workplace and create a culture of safety. Burns shared his outlook during a special keynote presentation at the Risk Summit on Nov. 2.

“We don’t want people to have to be exposed to death and destruction before they get safety,” said Burns. “So my philosophy is let’s teach people that safety is a process. Where we are in safety today is very different than 20 years ago, 30 years ago, or even back in 1970 when the Occupational Health and Safety Act first came in to existence through Richard Nixon signing it into law. It is a process. It continues to evolve. There will always be new rules, new processes, new procedures, the longer we go. It’s an ever-evolving process.”

During the presentation, Burns laid out 10 safety attitude strategies that organizations need to ensure a safer culture. The eighth rule states “your actions determine your outcome.” This is a key point because it stresses how workplace safety is the result of a series of smart decisions being made that lead to safer outcomes. By making safe actions, they will have safe results, Burns said.

Burns says a great deal of responsibility is on safety managers to not just teach safety, but provide safety leadership. Training is key for everyone in an organization, including safety managers, he said.

“If you want your people to embrace safety and embrace the training, somebody has got to lead,” said Burns. “That’s up to the safety manager to say, ‘no, I’m with you. I’m taking these courses too. I’m learning, I’m getting better in the same way I expect you to do the same thing.’ And it’s a leadership philosophy … Training is the key component. Having the training doesn’t necessarily mean they will make the right decision, but they have the ability to make the right decision.

“The challenge we find for safety managers, they have folks in the field that they know have been trained properly, but can’t be guaranteed they are going to make the right choice, based on the set of circumstances that are unfolding. So the more that we repeat, the more repetitive it becomes, the more we’re exposed considerable amount of training that is going to be involved, and keep our skills fresh, there is a much better likelihood that somebody in field faced with an uncertain situation is going to make the right choice.”

For more information on what happened at the 2015 Risk Summit, please click here. If you were unable to attend the event, but would like to learn more about utilizing TargetSolutions, please contact support for more information.

 

Inaugural Risk Summit Provides Platform Managers with In-Depth Training Event

TargetSolutions’ inaugural Risk Summit was held the first week of November at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, Calif. The three-day training workshop gave clients an opportunity to attend platform training sessions and a live presentation of the TS Academy.

Platform managers looking for hands-on instruction on how to operate TargetSolutions’ online training management system gathered during the first week of November at the Maderas Golf Club in San Diego’s suburb of Poway, Calif.

The 2015 Risk Summit was a three-day training workshop featuring engaging speakers, platform training sessions, one-on-one tutorials, and a live presentation of the TS Academy. For TargetSolutions, the inaugural event offered up a fantastic opportunity to meet face-to-face with platform managers.

“The TargetSolutions Risk Summit is great opportunity to meet with our clients and get feedback. It’s a big part of our development process to make our applications better, more user friendly, and it also gives our clients an opportunity to meet with each other.”

Alex Day, General Manager, TargetSolutions

One of the best things about gathering clients together from different organizations is how they can network and learn from each other about utilizing TargetSolutions.

“The key to success with any training platform, especially TargetSolutions, is collaboration,” said attendee Rick Vogt of the Escondido Fire Department. “So the ability to talk with not just our account managers, but other departments that are using the system in ways that we might not have even thought of, that’s a huge benefit to getting together.”

In addition to the comprehensive training for platform managers, TargetSolutions awarded the City of Roseville’s Lorrie McClain with the Power User award and Otay Water District’s Oscar Ramirez with the Milestone achievement honor. Otay has been using TargetSolutions for 15 years. Also, safety expert Kevin Burns presented a special keynote presentation on how to create a safer workplace culture.

“We are really hoping that our clients take away that we value them, and that we want to hear from them and we love their feedback,” said TargetSolutions Account Manager Amy Albanese. “We want to support them and really show them the platform; provide them with some resources they can take back to their organization and share that with others.”

If you were unable to attend the Risk Summit, but would like to learn more about maximizing the TargetSolutions platform, please e-mail us today for more information. TargetSolutions will be offering more training sessions and webinars in the coming months.