Volunteer fire departments face a unique set of challenges. One particular challenge facing the Volunteer service is officer development. Dave Lenart has served through all ranks as a volunteer in Derby, Ct and is passionate about developing good officers within volunteer organizations.

On this episode the JobTlks Team sits down with Dave Lenart. Dave has been involved in the fire service for over 25 years, with over 18 years as a volunteer officer holding the ranks of, Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, and Chief of Department for the Derby, CT. Volunteer Fire Department, as well as holding the role of Lieutenant with the Bridgeport, CT. Fire Department.

Dave dives into the history of the volunteer fire service in New England, the many changes experienced over the years, and discusses the current and future challenges faced by volunteer organizations in the 21st century such as staffing, training, funding and revenue, as well as Officer Development.

Realizing a critical need for volunteer fire officer development, and in particular incident command operations Dave developed his own Incident Command Board class where he offers training and insights on how to effectively manage complex fireground operations with limited staffing in a volunteer setting. Dave’s class has been featured at the New England Fire & EMS Expo, as well as his growing social media presence as Volley_Chief. Tune into the episode to dive into volunteer culture, generational passion for the fire service, and training and development for all ranks and all depts.

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