Archive for November, 2016

“Mock Suspension of Firefighter with Alcohol on His Breath,” is a video inside Community Resources that presents a simulated scenario of a respected fire officer being confronted for alcohol abuse

When a decorated fire officer relapses to the addictions of alcohol abuse, what is the outlook for his or her professional career? That’s what this month’s top video inside Community Resources explores.

A scenario is presented in the video, entitled “Mock Suspension of Firefighter with Alcohol on His Breath,” where a fire lieutenant, who is a highly respected employee, finds himself in trouble with his employer after a relapse with alcohol. The fire captain cites the lieutenant’s storied career with the department as the only thing keeping him in contention for his job – but sternly informs him that to hold onto his position he will need to agree to a series of rigorous demands.

The non-negotiable terms: comply with the EAP requirements, enroll in and pay out of pocket expenses – about $6,000 for the Center for Alcoholic Treatment (CAT) program – get involved with the local AA chapter, and share the experiences with his crew.

With a union representative by his side, the lieutenant is faced with deciding not only much he’s dedicated to saving his job, but his health, as well.

The video, produced by the University of Cincinnati’s Fire Science & Emergency Management program, runs just shy of nine minutes and is available inside Community Resources. Six organizations have used this resource, including Columbia River Fire and Rescue, Corona De Tucson Fire Department, and South Charleston Fire Department.

If you have any questions about the Community Resources application, please contact TargetSolutions today at (800) 840-8048. 

Victims suffering from heat illness require prompt action from first responders, making a knowledgeable skillset in managing heat-related emergencies a must for EMS personnel.

That reality is what makes the recently enhanced EMS Heat Illness and Emergencies training course a trademark lesson in TargetSolutions’ online EMS catalog. The 60-minute continuing education course recently received critical upgrades, including revitalized content, optimized multimedia, and updated interactions.

Featuring 11 learning modules and a 10-question exam, this course explores the full spectrum of heat illness and emergencies. After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

• Define and identify various types of heat illnesses including heat stroke, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion
• Understand the basics of temperature regulation and how heat is gained in heat-related illnesses
• Analyze management protocols for each type of heat illness

With more than 1,700 people losing their life each year in the U.S. because of heat stroke – per the Centers for Disease Control – this course is vital for emergency responders.

If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ online training management system for EMS agencies, please contact us at (800) 840-8046.

Designed to explore the methods of distribution, installation, and maintenance, TargetSolutions’ Water Industry Distribution Service to Customers training course has undergone major updates, including revised content and upgraded multimedia.

The 60-minute course, which is an approved technical course for continuing education, analyzes the four types of public water systems found in the United States, evaluates common water issues, and describes basic configurations of water distribution systems.

Other topics and objectives of this course include:

• Types of customers, metering of these customers and proper recordkeeping
• Common methods for making water service connections
• Insurance Services Office (ISO) requirements for fire protection
• The different water sources a water utility may use

This training course features nine learning modules and a 10-question exam. After successfully completing this course, students will be able to recognize AWWA standards.

If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ online training catalog for water and wastewater agencies, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

Firefighters put their lives on the line on a regular basis, but when not on duty there are other silent hazards, most notably physical diseases, behavioral disorders and unhealthy diets.

“Fire Service Health and Safety” is a brand-new training course developed by TargetSolutions. The 60-minute overview is designed to inform firefighters on the concepts, science, and economics of fire service-related health and safety. Equipped with 10 learning modules and a 10-question exam, this course offers a comprehensive overview of critical issues for firefighter wellness.

“Physical disease and behavioral disorders impact firefighters in different ways,” said TargetSolutions’ Director of Content Lauren Crosby. “These disorders can be unique, yet still clearly identifiable and quantifiable to those looking for them. This course analyzes wellness, line of duty deaths, common diseases, and what we can do about it. It makes important correlations between health, wellness and the fire service.”

Objectives of this online training course include:

• The need for wellness in firefighting
• The most common types of line of duty deaths among firefighters
• The most common diseases among firefighters
• How firefighters can stay in shape and the costs of injuries and poor health
• How health and wellness in the fire industry are connected

If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ course catalog for fire departments, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

Sexual harassment not only causes a hostile work environment, but the United States Department of Labor estimates it costs organizations around $1 billion in damages each year. Many of these costly incidents are the result of improper actions by individuals who are responsible for supervising other personnel.

A recent survey found that 43 percent of all claims filed by women are against supervisors and approximately 11 percent of all claims involve men filing against female supervisors.

These frightening numbers are strong reminders why it’s critical for public entities to establish harassment education programs to protect their employees, as well as their own liability.

TargetSolutions’ recently launched a new two-hour training course titled “Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors (California’s AB 1825)” that features new lessons, engaging interactions, and real-life scenarios. The course is in compliance with California’s AB 1825 law, which requires mandatory sexual harassment training for supervisors who work for companies with at least 50 employees.

“I think when we look solely at the compliance piece we lose a little bit of the human factor,” says Client Services Manager Jennifer Jones. “We can help organizations provide this training and focus on educating their folks around what a safe work environment is. We take the compliance piece and humanize it, making it something that shows that an organization cares about their individuals.”

To learn how TargetSolutions’ sexual harassment training can help your organization, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

TargetSolutions employees utilized the platform’s powerful Credentials application to record their steps during the “Steptember” and “Walktober” competitions.

Sitting is the new smoking.

That’s what TargetSolutions’ Client Services Manager Jennifer Jones says, citing recent studies exploring the crippling impact of sitting at a desk all day.

That’s why TargetSolutions’ Wellness Team, which implements company-wide activities and events that encourage health and wellness, established the wildly successful “Steptember” and “Walktober” competitions for the months of September and October. The goal: get out, be active, and count your steps while marching upon the path to victory.

For the competition, participants are utilizing TargetSolutions’ own technology, including custom activities inside the Manage Credentials application, to mark their daily progress throughout the month.

“We have set up a custom activity that allows participants to log their steps each day. We have also built a custom credential to allow for easier tracking of the multiple activity completions and to send out reminders each day.”

Jennifer Jones, TargetSolutions

The idea behind the competitions was to get team members up and moving around to counteract the negative side effects of sitting at a desk all day. For an average person, it takes about 2,000 steps to walk one mile. While opinions vary, 10,000 daily steps, or five miles, is a figure that’s routinely suggested to complement a healthy lifestyle. Further studies have found that Americans were accumulating about 5,900 daily steps on average, a far cry from the recommended 10,000.

TargetSolutions’ employees amassed millions of total combined steps to make “Steptember” and “Walktober” a massive success, Jones said.

Client Services Manager Jennifer Antinone claimed victory for both months by walking a blistering 360,039 steps in October and an insurmountable 382,302 steps in September. That translates to an invigorating 180 and 191 miles walked, respectively.

“The walking events at TargetSolutions help promote an active lifestyle at work, which keeps us fresh throughout the day,” said Antinone. “It is so important to stay healthy and engaged and these events promote both of those things.

“I had the opportunity to walk with several co-workers that I don’t interact with regularly and even conducted a few meetings while walking laps around the building.”

Are you interested in setting up a similar credential to track steps at your organization? If so, please contact TargetSolutions at (800) 840-8048 to learn more.

TargetSolutions recently sponsored a webcast by Calibre Press titled “De-Escalation & Conflict Resolution for Public Safety Personnel.” A recorded version of this presentation is now available inside TargetSolutions’ Community Resources application.

Public safety personnel have been searching for ages to find the perfect method on how to deal with erratic civilians. Unfortunately, a universal answer for resolving all of the various types of conflict first responders face doesn’t exist.

As Lt. Jim Glennon of Calibre Press explains in the webinar “De-escalation & Conflict Resolution for Public Safety Personnel” – which is now available inside TargetSolutions’ Community Resources – there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all method for properly communicating during high-stress situations.

“When we get calls, people want to know what are the phrases we should use? What’s the canned program we should enlist? And there is no canned program,” said Glennon. “You can go to classes where they say ‘don’t use these words, but use those words.’ I’m wary of those.”

As Glennon points out, the constant overarching requirement of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and other safety personnel is to engage people, though frequently this is easier said than done.

Tremendous stress during emergency situations can elicit a whirlwind of raw emotions. Other factors, such as substance abuse and mental health issues, reinforce the idea that communication in these scenarios is unpredictable.

“What I found was your own personality has to be involved with other human beings. You can’t just take on someone else’s system when trying to engage other human beings.”

Lt. Jim Glennon, Calibre Press

This engaging 63-minute training webinar, which is available inside Community Resources and can be delivered and tracked through the TargetSolutions platform, features video clips of real scenarios that highlight communication breakdowns. During the overview, Glennon interprets each example independently rather than approaching each event with a black and white list of do’s and don’ts.

“This webinar is valuable for those in law enforcement, EMS, the fire service, and more,” said Tim Riley, who previously served as a fire chief with Dunedin Fire Department (Fla.) and now works as a Product Specialist with TargetSolutions. “It’s important that we remember it’s not your emergency. Nobody ever called because they did something intelligent; so likewise, it’s important to never become part of the problem. This webinar discusses the challenges public safety personnel face in these types of scenarios.”

“De-escalation & Conflict Resolution for Public Safety Personnel” was produced by Calibre Press and sponsored by TargetSolutions. For more information on this valuable recorded webinar now available inside Community Resources, please contact TargetSolutions at (800) 840-8048.