Katherine Thais Ridenhour, retired Battalion Chief, Aurora Fire Department (CO), is passionate about teaching competent and confident leadership on and off the fireground. Her classes include strategy/tactics, command, conflict solution/problem solving, leadership and promotional preparation.

Katherine’s experience spans 25 years in Tech Rescue, FEMA/USAR, EMS, Training Division, Diversity Board and past President of Women in the Fire Service. She also spent 5 recent years after retirement as a volunteer firefighter and feels privileged to understand the rural side of the fire service. Her passion for presenting exceptional teaching methodologies has earned her multiple requests to teach at various departments, and she is proud to serve the volunteer side of the fire service in that way. She also has extensive teaching at various Department of Defense bases including the United States Air Force Academy, Tyndall Air Force Base and the entire Northwest Navy Region.

Katherine has taught nationally for years at such conferences as FDIC, FRI, the IAFC Metro Chiefs, the IAFF Human Relations and Redmond Symposium, as well as various state conferences.

I had the distinct honor of talking with Chief Ridenhour about her experiences in the Fire Service.  Her work on exposing the practice of "Bullying" in our industry is well known, as she is a sought after lecturer and keynote speaker.

Take the time to listen to this in-depth episode that focuses on several issues in our workplace.

I want to thank the members of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' HRC committee for allowing me to speak on the matter of Diversity. 

It is my hope that we can move the discussion from "Culture to Caring " and from "Diversity to Inclusion".  I will be updating the notes on this episode throughout the week. Take a listen and please share thw episode and your comments below.

Captain Tiffanye Wesley and her team guard the U.S. Pentagon.  Along with this trusted position, she is an author, leader and continues to inspire others. She speaks about her challenges and her perververance.  I continue to see her on the national stage and she is always willing and able to support others and share.

Tiffanye S. Wesley is celebrated as a leader and trailblazer. The leadership trainer and inspirational speaker is also a Fire/EMS Captain II with the Arlington County Fire Department in Arlington, Virginia - the first African American female to be promoted to this level of leadership in the department’s 71-year history.

A 24-year veteran of the Arlington County Fire Department, Tiffanye has served in numerous positions. The most notable positions include Nationally Certified Bomb Technician and Bomb Commander, Station Commander for the largest and busiest firehouse in Arlington and most recently Acting Battalion Chief where she is responsible for effective supervision, management and coordination of emergency scene operations, as well as; daily operations of a battalion (5 fire stations).

Though known for putting out fires, she also ignites audiences as a leadership trainer often focusing on leading with integrity and respect.

http://tiffanyewesley.com/

Tiffanye also recently released her published work in the book anthology, No More Chains. Her story is also profiled in a 2017 documentary by the same title.

I want to thank the members of the board and colleagues for allowing me an opportunity to share some thoughts.  Please support this worthy endeavor.

Located on the grounds of the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks, stands the Connecticut Firefighters Memorial dedicated to Connecticut Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Memorial was first envisioned in 1992 with the establishment of a Memorial Committee by the Connecticut State Firefighters Association.  A ground breaking was held on June 12, 2001.  The Memorial is the first of its kind in the state honoring Connecticut Firefighters who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the fire service with more than 300 names engraved in the panels that surround the Memorial.

The design of the Memorial was conceived by the Connecticut Firefighters Memorial Committee incorporating a plaza-like setting, featuring a brick patio in the form of the Maltese Cross, the universal symbol of the fire service.  The centerpiece of the Memorial is a six foot by twelve foot polished impala black granite stone bearing the likeness of four firefighters fighting a blaze; Lieutenant Paul Walsh of the New Britain Fire Department designed the artists’ rendition of the firefighters.  The centerpiece rests upon a base of concrete and gray granite to which are affixed plaques with the engraved names of those who have lost their lives.  The plaques are numbered with roman numerals to ease the task of locating names. Atop the base, in front of the centerpiece is an eternal flame to acknowledge and honor this group of brave and noble firefighters. Surrounding the centerpiece are eight granite sitting benches representing the eight counties in Connecticut.

As Lieutenant Governor, Governor M. Jodi Rell played a major role in the fundraising efforts that concluded with the unveiling of the $250,000.00 memorial.  The Memorial was dedicated on August 18, 2002, in her keynote address then Lieutenant Governor Rell spoke on the value of having a permanent place for honoring Connecticut’s fallen firefighters.  She applauded the many dedicated firefighters, residents and others whose contributions allowed the construction of this beautiful Memorial.

To make a donation to the Connecticut Fallen Firefighter Memorial or to purchase a walkway brick go to www.ct.gov/cfpc and click on Fallen Firefighter Memorial in the center of the page.

https://www.facebook.com/ctfirefightermemorial/

GLUE is a universal resource for the growth and development of EMPOWERment paradigms. This program is certain to develop strong leaders in all ranks of your organization.

The "GLUE Guys" touch on vital issues that reaffirm the connections to the communities and people we serve.  Their unique brand of leadership empowerment brings focus on the individual leader and their growth through principled leadership!

I have been following the G.L.U.E. Guys for quite some time now.  Their innovative approach to leadership development has the all-access flavor that is necessary in today's business market.  Although I have primarily seen their work in the emergency management sector, I recognize those foundational principles that are the hallmark of successful leaders and organizations.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fireengineeringtalkradio

Leadership Development Concepts, LLC is dedicated to improving lives through personal development and building a path to personal leadership.

While attending a community event in the City of New Haven, Hartford Fire Chief Reggie Freeman and I got the opportunity to "chop it up" and discuss his passion for Transformational Leadership.

 Please give a listen and share this great insight that Chief Freeman has been espousing all over the globe.  The content is heavy and well worth taking a few notes to improve your management style, no matter what industry you represent.

Reginald D. Freeman, MS, CFO, FIFireE

On February 1, 2016, Reginald D. Freeman was sworn in as the 37th Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director for the City of Hartford. Prior to the City of Hartford, Chief Freeman served as Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Ft. Worth, TX also known as U.S. Air Force Plant 4. In addition to his duties as Chief of Department to the team in Ft. Worth, Chief Freeman provided international guidance and direction to the Italian and Japanese governments through the Ministry of Defence by providing training and consulting to each nation’s Air Force Fire Department personnel, respectively as it pertains to the F-35 Lightning. Furthermore, Chief Freeman served as the Assistant Chief/Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the City of Hartford, CT as well as Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA. (U.S. Air Force Plant 6) where he was named Professional of the Year in 2009.

Chief Freeman served in Iraq as a civilian Fire Chief for the U.S. Department of Defense and coalition allies from 2004 to 2008, providing all hazards fire and emergency services to forward and continuing operating bases throughout Iraq. His last assignment was at their headquarters on Camp Victory in Baghdad as the Chief of Compliance, Safety, & Planning where he helped managed more than 700 firefighters and nearly 25,000 calls per year.  He has worked in a number of fire service capacities in his career including Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Fire Captain, Fire Service Instructor, Assistant Fire Chief, and Fire Chief.

Chief Freeman’s educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership from Bellevue University in Bellevue, NE. He earned his Master’s Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ and he is currently a Doctoral student in dissertation phase studying Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Organizational Development. Chief Freeman is also a graduate and Fellow of Harvard University’s Senior Executives for State & Local Government program at the Kennedy School of Government. Chief Freeman previously served as the Chair of the Industrial Fire & Life Safety Section for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and a previous Board member of the Executive Fire Officer Section of the IAFC and Technical Committee member of NFPA 1021 (Fire Officer Professional Qualifications), respectively. Additionally, Chief Freeman serves as the Chair for the Commission on Professional Credentialing via the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. and is also the Director of Training for the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs. Lastly, Chief Freeman is an accredited Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. as well as a credentialed “Fellow” with the Institution of Fire Engineers, USA Branch. Lastly, Chief Freeman serves on the Board of Directors for NFPA.

Chief Freeman is an Adjunct Professor for Anna Maria College and the University of Florida where he lectures in both undergraduate and graduate Fire Science and Master of Public Administration programs.

While attending the 2018 i-Women Conference, I had the most fortunate opportunity to sit down with Ms. Cindy Ell of the Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation.

The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation:

Working to Extinguish Fire Fighter Cancer

Firefighters dedicate their lives to the service of others. The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation was established in 2004 to provide international outreach, support, and resource assistance programs for firefighters and family members that are stricken by cancer. 

The Foundation is creating state of the art programs for cancer education, awareness, research and prevention to ensure the quality of life and retirement of fire fighters around  the world.

Cindy is a wealth of information and showed us many of the products and information packs that they have developed to help educate Fire Fighters and their families.   We had the chance to talk about Cancer, as it relates to the work environment and the impact it has on first responders and our families. There was such a wide range of topics and programs that we encourage you to visit their website at:  www.ffcancer.org

And then donate...

Had the tremendous opportunity to spend an evening, back in February of this year, sharing some ideas on Black Heritage.  I want to thank Leonard Webb of Ethnic Online for asking me to participate in the program.  There was spoken word, an African American Heritage Showroom, a funky band and then me...

This type of event and venue always presents new challenges to public speaking, as you must share with a crowd that came to eat, dance, have a good time and talk about of rich heritage.  It becomes a greater challenge when you have to speak in between a band break at 9:40 p.m..

Having my Dad, John, Sr., in the audience made it so much better and I hope the ad-hoc audio recording plays well enough for you to get the message of what I hoped to accomplish.

Had the privilege speaking to the Connecticut Fire Service Instructor's Association.  The topic was training the new firefighter.  The audio is basic.  It was live and not planned to be recorded. The speech was an informal talk at their Annual Meeting.

We talked about the classic model of training:

Prepare

Present

Apply

Test

Follow-up

Please share and like this clip.  Catch us on www.fireofficertrust.org

I joined the Fire Smoke Coalition years ago.  It was not until I got their information at FDIC (www.fdic.com) and reviewed it that I found a wealth of resources that can change firefighters lives.

The mission of the Fire Smoke Coalition is to focus the required attention and resources on the deadly and life-long consequences of breathing  fire smoke by teaching firefighters and first responders how to Prevent, Protect, Detect, Diagnose, and appropriately Treat the exposure if it occurs.  The Coalition is comprised of firefighters and the medical community – all who embrace the challenge of teaching firefighters how to stay alive – and prevent the disease, illness and death associated with today’s deadly fire smoke.

This post links you to an interview I had with the organizations Executive Director, Shawn Longerich.  Her candor and passion for firefighter safety permeates this discussion.

Shawn Longerich, Executive Director