2019 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUMS & EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

Opening Symposium: This House Rocks – Achieving Firehouse Excellence
Thursday, October 17 :: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm | Captain Mike Gagliano (Retired) and Captain Mike Dugan (Retired)

There is nothing quite like a firehouse. It can be the most incredible experience of your life or a miserable exile to purgatory. It can be a place of learning where skills are honed and techniques refined or a stagnant cesspool where competence erodes into ineffective complacency. What is it that causes one place to be cohesive and brimming with camaraderie, while just down the road there are dissension and drudgery? Learn five key areas that can turn any firehouse into the type of place that enables firefighters to thrive and fulfill their calling. This class will look at how to build and enjoy the type of firehouse everyone wants.

FITOAM Track: Rebooting Old School Principles for Today’s Demanding Fireground
Friday, October 18 :: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm | Chief Christopher Naum, SFPE, Command Institute, DC & NY

Much is being debated related to tactics, methodologies, practices and the learnings gleaned from emerging research and insights. What has today’s fireground evolved into when we talk about traditional firefighting operations and engagement? Has it remained constant-Has it changed? Do we continue to operate utilizing time proven methodologies or are we prepared to identify new adaptive methodologies and practices? The demands on today’s fire service require us to look back in order to progress forward. This program reboots the principles and operational practices of modern firefighting while integrating progressive models that build upon the fire company’s skills, knowledge and abilities to effectively mitigate an incident that with aggressive firefighting, predictive risk management and tactical discipline associated with operational excellence.

Administrative Support
Friday, October 18 :: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm | NO COST – if one or more members of your department is registered

For individuals whose job duties consist of processing or completion of the following administrative functions; MFIRS Reporting, Workers compensation claims, OSHA requirements, Recruitment issues such as background checks, Minnesota Board of Fire Training and Education reimbursements, Public Employee’s Retirement Association pension reporting, Office of the State Auditor Volunteer Pension Plan reporting requirements, Data retention, Data Privacy, Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing and more. This track will feature representatives from a few key agencies who will provide updates on new changes, an overview of their system and requirements, and time to interact to provide answers to your questions. Information packets for some of the agencies/areas who are not presenting will also be provided to attendees. A fantastic opportunity to actually meet the people you currently just talk on the phone or email with! Come check it out, network with other professionals, and take time to view the vast vendor display. For an additional charge stay and join us for our annual awards dinner.

Lessons Learned
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 11:30 am and 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm

The workshop will be a classroom setting typically addressing special incidents that have happened over the past year in Minnesota and the lessons learned from these events from the responders of these incidents.

Health and Wellness Track: Creating a Healthy and Fit Culture in Your Department
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 11:30 am | Aaron Zamzow, Firefighter Training Officer, Madison (WI) Fire Department

The fire service today is not very conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Poor eating and sleeping habits and little emphasis on “functional” fitness has created an unhealthy culture. This culture can be changed but requires an efficient and effective plan and proper educations. The first element of changing the culture requires departments to educate their members on what “functional fitness” is and how to create proper workouts. The second element is to provide and promote a training environment that promotes and supports a fitness culture.

Attendees of this seminar will first learn how to define functional fitness and what the essential fitness components that your departments should be promoting. Next attendees will utilize these components and learn how to create effective crew and team workouts for all levels of fitness. Lastly attendees will learn strategies and ideas on creating a more fit culture. The session is perfect for those who want to make a difference in the health and fitness culture of their department.

Safety Track: Construction under Fire: Fact Not Fear
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 11:30 am and 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm | James Johnson, Firefighter British Columbia Canada

With today’s modern building materials this class will discuss the common myths associated with various building materials. Discussion on understanding the strength and weaknesses of various building materials and increase confidence to safety and how to operate around different buildings and materials.

Professional Development Track: Fire Service Leadership – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 11:30 am | Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros

While we may have good individual leaders, solid, effective and dynamic leadership training is rare in the fire service today. With the generation and cultural gaps widening, and our experienced leaders retiring at a geometric rate, a leadership pandemic is sweeping the American Fire Service. The result is increased litigation, liability, injury and even death to firefighters and civilians alike. Gross inefficiency, ineffectiveness and tarnished public trust are just some of the results of this enormous problem.

This session is geared toward what excellent leaders are - and are not. We focus on the challenges facing today’s fire service supervisors, leaders and fire departments. Real, credible experiences are discussed that deal with all facets of leadership: Keys to real world motivation, goal-setting, the “Old Salt”, the “X/Y” generations, the “Millennial”, the “Recliner Jockey”, the “Recliner Sniper”, cultural differences, effective communications, time management, problem solving, conflict resolution, risk management, empowerment, delegation, the “Oreo” factor, customer service, technology, succession planning and many others.

In addition, your students will participate in several dynamic role play sessions, including one-on-one and crew scenarios, practice actual conflict resolution and Firefighter Bill of Rights issues. We will delve into succession planning with practical tools and methodologies to maximize the ability to prepare the next generation of leaders for the next generation of firefighters.

Emergency Management Track: Mass Fatality Preparedness: Lessons Learned from the 1 October Shooting in Las Vegas
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 11:30 am | John Fundenberg Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (CCOCME)

Mr. Fudenberg will provide an overview of the lessons learn from managing the mass shooting on October 1st in Las Vegas Nevada. The focus will be on setting up a call center, a community wide Family Assistance Center and Employee Wellness following an incident. He will discuss the purpose of setting up a missing person call center following a mass fatality incident, how to set up a family assistance center and how to manage and employee wellness following an incident.

State Fire Marshal Update
Friday, October 18 :: 8:00 am - 9:30 am | State Fire Marshal Bruce West

Marshal West will give updates on division activities and you will have an opportunity to ask him and his staff questions. There will also be a chance to provide input and feedback to the division on matters related to inspections, training, fire code, reporting, and statewide incident response.

State Fire Marshal Track: Dousing or Fanning the Flames?
Friday, October 18 :: 10:00 am - 1:45 pm | State Fire Marshal Fire Service Specialist Team

Learn how the State Fire Marshal Division’s Fire Service Specialists can help put out those other “fires” that sometimes come up. (Continues after lunch from 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm).

Chief Issues Track: Dealing with Difficult People and Their Organizational Impacts
Friday, October 18 :: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Chief Jerry Streich

The topic of workplace violence is on the front page everyday across this country. Some people are literally afraid to go to work! As leaders, especially in one of the most elite field in the world, why do we allow these types of behavior in our work place? Maybe we are a part of the problem? We are certainly part of the solution. Chief Streich will lead attendees through the history of the fire service to regain the important role we have. He then moves into defining a “difficult person” and how generational differences (beliefs, work ethic, etc.) requires frequent adjusting to tune the elite team we need to become. He tells his story that nearly ended his career and shows how resolve conflict and bad behavior from those we deal with. Chief Streich is an impactful speaker who brings fun into the presentation and hold the audience’s attention by getting them involved in the conversation.

New Officers Workshop
Friday, October 18 :: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm

This workshop will include a panel of experienced Chief Officers who will share ideas with new Chief Officers chat include direction, information and suggestions to make their abilities more effective.

Some of the Fire Organizations that will be reviewed are the MSFCA, MSFDA, MARAC, IAAI, FMAM, OSHA, and SFMO, HSEM and other state and federal agencies.

Along with the overview will be a summary of legal, fiscal and Liability issues that today's chief officers faces, as well as model standards and policies that cover such issues as training, human resources, budgets, leadership, fire cause determination and arson responsibilities.

Influencing Change Track
Friday, October 18 :: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Chief BJ Jungmann, Chief Steve Koering and Chief Hugo Searle

EMS In Minnesota – How the EMS Legislation Really Works in Minnesota
In this session you will learn about the current state of EMS legislation in Minnesota and what that may mean to your organization.

Fire Service Legislative Forum
This session participants will learn about the outcome of the 2019 legislative session, about the future legislative initiatives, and how you can get involved and make a difference in the fire service efforts at the capitol (and it does not mean you have to come to the capitol).

The Fire Department’s Role in Community Health Management
Fire Departments are at the center of community healthcare. This presentation will show why and how departments can take the lead in managing their community’s healthcare by creating partnerships, providing leadership and demonstrating why the most trusted brand in America, the fire service, can and should take this role.

Professional Development Track: Mastering Fireground Command - Calm the Chaos!
Friday, October 18 :: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros

Command and tactical training is critical to modern officer development. Today's officers must be excellent leaders and exceptional tacticians. With changes in building construction, tactics and the latest UL studies regarding fire behavior, modern fireground operations are more complex than ever.

State Fire Marshal Track: From Cradle to Cane
Friday, October 18 :: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | State Fire Marshal Fire and Life Safety Education Team

Discover some distinct ways the fire service can engage and improve outcomes with hard to reach and at risk populations within their communities using an impactful public education approach.

Closing Symposium: Challenges of a Firefighter Marriage
Saturday, October 19 :: 8:30 am - 11:30 am | Captain Mike Gagliano (Retired) and Anne Gagliano

Marriage can either be a passionate, intimate love affair that lasts a lifetime or a toxic, contentious experience that ends in utter heartbreak. The divorce rate is on the rise for all professions, but for the firefighter, the rate is through the roof. In this class, real life husband and wife team Mike and Anne Gagliano take an honest, hard-hitting look at what is happening to firefighter marriages and why. They examine what makes this profession different than any other and how those differences impact marriage. With their 30 plus years of experience, they will share what they have learned that has helped their marriage stand the test of time and defy the odds.