Oklahoma Firefighter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 8, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 1, 1988 Page: 2 of 20
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum.
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OKLAHOMA FIREFIGHTER
Page 2 MARCH, 1988
GUTHRIE TEAM LEADS 3-YEAR STUDY
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MARCH, 1988
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Executive Dire, or .
Director..........
Director..........
Executive Secretary
Secretary.........
Accountant.......
Museum Curator. ..
Clerk .............
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. Bob Hollander
.......Jim Minx
.. . .PeteStavros
.....lone Brown
.....Lois Benne
......Lil Staude
Gene Sam Oruch
Sherry Cochran
BeM own
ar."If you
Published monthly by and tor members of the
sate Firefighters Association to educate its
membership, improve the fire service and to
enhance the value and dignity of their profession
} either paid or volunteer.
Staff
4
a
Official Publication of
Oklahoma State Firefighters Association
2716 N.E. 50. P.O. Box 11507
Oklahoma City, OK 73136
405/424-1452
Te‘ -
0b.
number of years in fire service, and a
demonstration of educational pur-
suits. The federal government bears
the training costs. Guthrie paid only
$11 per day for the men’s meals.
Since the Academy’s programs were
nearly lost to cutbacks, they felt very
fortunate to attend. Ward said, “The
programs were saved, which I think
means lives were saved, literally. The
things we learned make us better at our
jobs, and our goal is saving lives and
property.”
Personalities of the participants
are analyzed, strong points em-
phasized, weak points recognized,
then they try to work a balance be-
tween the two for effective leader-
ship. From obviously different styles
and personalities, they are compati-
ble in the everyday work situation.
The leadership training helps
enhance the day-to-day job skills,
Smith feels, to allow each to work in
MMM—- M
"CREAM OF THE CHOP"—Guthrie Fire Marshal Jim Smith, left, and Fire Chief Bill Ward, have
become the first fire service officials in the state of Oklahoma to receive certification from the Na-
tional Fire Academy in Maryland for the leadership and management training course they com-
pleted in September, which concluded a three-year program for the men.
(Leader Staff Photo by Kelli Bautsch)
■
2
5 ,o
his own framework, and teaches
both not to deal in personalities at
the professional level, but to ac-
complish the task efficiently. Par-
ticipants reviewed some real-life
dilemmas and decided how those
situations might have been handled
differently, then defended their posi-
apply the conde 01%
to fire servicee,‘c,)
organization* MPpar
make"Tfanges, you must first change
the cultural framework under which
More than 299 fire service officials
were selected to attend an elite
3-year leadership course offered by
the National Fire Academy at Emmits-
burg, Maryland, including Guthrie’s
Fire Chief Bill Ward and Fire Mar-
shal Jim Smith. Both completed the
3-year program to become the first
fire service officials in the State of
Oklahoma certified as “fire ex-
ecutive officers" by the Academy.
Ward and Smith say the 'best of the
best’ instructed the course, designed
to help managers and administrators
develop to their fullest potential.
The acceptance of Ward and Smith
to the Academy speaks highly of the
City of Guthrie. “It says to us we are
training-oriented, desire to be profes-
sional, and given the right equip-
ment and right facility to work in, we
feel we can be among the best in
Oklahoma,” said Ward. Only about 1
of every 4 applicants is accepted to
the Academy, based on rank,
you work,” says Ward. “The public
image is one of Dalmatian dogs, red
suspenders, dominoes and waiting
for a ’far’, then putting the wet stuff
on the red stuff." Chief Ward says
the only realism of that image is the
“Water is still the best extinguishing
agent known to man." All else has
changed.
Although changes in fire service,
leadership and management were
the thrust of this year's program for
these 2 Guthrie Fire Department of-
ficers, the complete 3-year course
has included all aspects of fire
fighting and prevention, Fire Depart-
ment operations, hazardous materials
and similar topics. These workshops
were intense but refreshing, the par-
ticipants covered up in ‘homework
nearly every evening, yet Chief Ward
was impressed by the profes-
sionalism of instructors and their
"insistence on excellence." Classes
were disciplined and demanding,
but they enjoyed being with other
professionals who believe in plann-
ing ahead and who realize that prac-
tices and images of fire service need
changing. Both men are veterans of
fire service with impressive creden-
tials in education, training, and in-
volvement with fire service organiza-
tions. No doubt we will be hearing
more of them. A major portion of
this information came from an arti-
cle published in the “Guthrie Daily
Leader”, a newspaper that supports
their hometown fire department
with good coverage of their activities
in all areas. Since that time, another
first has taken place.
Fire Marshal Smith has completed
a fourth class which only recently
became available. This fourth seg-
ment was entitled, "Strategic
Analysis of Fire Prevention Pro-
grams”. which dovetails perfectly
with Smith's responsibilities to the
Guthrie community as Fire Marshal.
From that class of about 24, he was
one of 2 in the nation to have com-
pleted all 4 courses consisting of
some 329 class hours. Our con-
gratulations to Chief Ward and Fire
Marshal Smith on completion of
their respective courses and for shar-
ing insight on what the class entails.
Fire Chief Ward has succeeded in
scheduling the Southwest Division
of the 1AFC Conference in his home-
town of Guthrie, America (see
separate article covering it in this
paper), and no doubt he will
enlighten them as to the oppor-
tunities this course offers and the
ways he has discovered to imple-
ment the knowledge into his own
department.
tions to the clas
Ultimately, Ae
O.S.F.A.
CONVENTION
DATES TO
REMEMBER
M AR K YOU R
CALENDER
APRIL 4 - RESOLUTIONS DUE IN
O.S.F.A. OFFICE
APRIL 18 - ELECTION OF OSFA
DELEGATES
MAY 2 - FORFEITURE OF
MEMBERSHIP FOR
UNPAID DUES
MAY 23 - CREDENTIALS DUE
JUNE 1, 2, 3 & 4 - O.S.F.A.
CONVENTION -STILLWATER
"SALUTE TO THE CLOWNS"
For further details consult your
Constitution and By-Laws in the
1986 proceedings book.
“DISPATCH”
PREVIEW
********
This series fact sheet contains
brief items of interest to the Council
membership and offers a preview of
articles you can find in the next
quarterly edition of “Dispatch,” the
NVFC newsletter. Look for more
details in the "Dispatch" coming
soon.
********
♦ Council Chairman Monihan at
tended a meeting late last year of
the Federation of World Volunteer
Firefighters Associations in Beij-
ing, China. He returned with
news of expanded research in
China on petrochemical fires
that could provide helpful infor-
mation for U.S. firefighters.
★ The International Association of
Hazardous Materials Specialists
has adopted Oregon's hazardous
materials standards for applica-
tion nationwide.
★ NVFC Treasurer Condon repre-
sented the Council at the National
Fire Academy’s TRADE Con-
ference. TRADE, Training
Resources and Date Exchange, is
a regionally based networking
system to foster the exchange of
fire-related training information
and resources among federal,
state and local levels of govern-
ment. The NVFC has a designated
representative in each region who
particpates in TRADE activities.
★ The Council expects to testify early
this year on a proposed law re-
quiring installation of fire
sprinkler systems in hotels and
motels. The Council has stated its
strong opposition to the method
used in the proposal to force states
to comply — barring their fire-
fighters from the National Fire
Academy.
★ The town of Bad Eilsen, West
Germany, is looking for volunteer
firefighters to participate in an in-
ternational exchange program
sometime this year. interested
volunteers should contact NVFC
Secretary Welter for more infor-
mation.
To the Editor
The OKI AHOMA I IKI
FIGHTER encourages the
open exchange ol ideas, opi-
nions and concerns among
members of the lire service
community. The Board and
stall of OKI AHOMA
MIREFIGHTER may not
agree with the expressions but
will provide adequate space
to allow freedom of those ex-
changes.
Letters to the Editor
should concentrate on issues,
not personalities; be typed us-
ing double spacing; be signed
by the writer and include
writer's telephone number;
and be mailed or delivered to
the Oklahoma State
Firefighters Association,
P.O. Box 11507, Oklahoma
City, OK 73136.
rhe OKLAHOMA FIRE-
FIGHTER reserves the right
to edit and condense letters
according to space limitations
and the editor’s judgment.
Great care will be taken to en-
sure the message in the letter
is not altered. Anonymous
letters will not be published.
OSFA does not endoree either the com
pany or the product of any paid adver
iisement.
deeg 6 ‛
daj
“4 y
MA- wei l
Executive Board
President............James B. Smith, Stillwater
1st Vice President.....Mike Bower, Midwest City
2nd Vice President .... Kenneth Bunch, Okla. City
3rd Vice President.........David Burch, Lawton
Past President.......Haskell Starbuck, Shattuck
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Oklahoma Firefighter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 8, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 1, 1988, periodical, March 1, 1988; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1941656/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum.