2023 Alexandria Fire Officer & Training Officer School
February 3-5, 2023 | Arrowwood Resort | 2100 Arrowwood Ln NW, Alexandria, MN 56308


Class Information

Attendees can register for one (1) 12-hour class, which is held on Saturday and Sunday OR one (1) 8-hour class, held only on Saturday, along with one (1) 4-hour class, held only on Sunday. Please see descriptions below:


12-Hour Classes

Strategy & Tactics for Initial Operations (NFA)
Lane Heins

*Please note this was originally listed as a 16 hour class, the times have now changed.

This course is designed to meet the needs of Company Officers (COs) responsible for managing the operations of one or more companies during structural firefighting operations. This course is designed to develop the management skills needed by COs to accomplish assigned tactics at structure fires.

Critical Thinking for Fire Ground Operations
Lance Ross, MN-1 AHIMT
Trevor Hamdorf, Deputy Director - Public Safety, New Brighton 

Each and everyday Emergency Services respond to numerous calls that require different approaches to best control the situation. Often, the decisions of controlling that situation happen within seconds. Some of these situations end up going longer than the “normal” call.

This critical thinking session is designed to provide you a background and enhance your decision making on a scene both initially and long term incidents. Learn from case studies and lessons learned on the ICS City a 5 ft. x 32 ft. training city that you will be utilizing during the session. The session scenarios will start at a baseline level and grow in intensity and complexity. The ICS City allows for students to utilize the concepts learned during class and their “real world” experience and apply to the exercise that is unfolding in front of them “in the city”.

The session will have training components and many “hands on” opportunities with the ICS City.
 

Good to Great Leadership
BJ Jungmann, Fire Chief, Burnsville

Why are some teams good and some great? What sets great teams apart? Leading their team is one of the most important things a manager needs to get right. But great teams don’t happen by accident. In this class you will learn the best practices of leading teams from good to great. Define what makes a team function well, discover how to avoid the behaviors that detract from a team’s success, and identify the actions and tools you can use to take your leadership to the next level.

Fire Ground Management - First Arriving Officer
Dale Specken, Fire Chief, Hopkins
Curt Mackey, Fire Chief, Excelsior Fire District 

*This class is full. Please email [email protected] to be added to a waitlist.

 Participants will learn the importance of conducting a thorough size-up before committing limited resources. This course will develop company officers’ incident scene supervisory and management capabilities in structural fire operations. Key content includes discussion and scenario-based practice on controlling and implementing the activities that need to be done to successfully deal with personnel performing the following operations; rescue and ventilation, confinement and extinguishment, water supply, exposures, offensive and defensive operations, salvage, overhaul and support. This course takes a practical, common sense approach to fighting fires in single-family homes, multi-family apartment buildings, light industrial and commercial structures. It takes into account the realities of today's fire service–that is, most fire departments in this country are, understaffed, less experienced and involved in more EMS than ever before. If your incidents seem to run themselves and you’re not in control, then this course is for you.

8-Hour Class

State Fire Marshal: So You Want To Be a Fire Chief?
Jared Rozeboom and Tate Mills, Fire Service Specialists, MN State Fire Marshal Division
Dan Buchholz, Training and Code Development Specialist, MN State Fire Marshal Division

Are you interested in someday becoming the fire chief of your fire department? Are you the chief of your fire department, but have never been informed and/or didn’t realize all the responsibilities of a chief? This class is for you! State Fire Marshal Division staff will help you understand the responsibilities and requirements of a fire chief and the resources you have available to help you and your fire department.

Some of the topics and questions covered in this session:

  • So now I’m the chief, who do I report to?
  • Mutual aid agreements and authority.
  • What is the FSAC and fire safety account – why is this important to me?
  • What does the MBFTE have to offer?
  • Who is responsible for training my firefighters?
  • What is fire and life safety education and what resources do I have for fire prevention and risk management?
  • Fire Code and Fire Investigation Resources.
  • State Emergency Response Teams.
  • What is Fire Chief Boot Camp?

These topics and questions along with many more will be discussed in this session. There will also be an open discussion forum for attendees to “dive” deeper into any of the topics covered.


4-Hour Classes

MnFIRE
Gary Hendrickson, Fire Chief, Dayton

Sleep: While firefighters face a myriad of health and wellness stressors, one that particularly impacts overall health is sleep. No matter the work schedule, career or non-career, poor sleep habits can impact job performance, mental health, and your body’s ability to fight off illness. This session will cover the impacts of sleep deprivation and give tips on healthier sleep hygiene that can lead to better overall health.


Emotional Wellness: The emotional and disturbing calls we go on can stick with us – and it’s important to recognize how the stresses of the job can negatively impact our mental health. Sadly, too many in the fire service are ashamed or afraid to ask for the help they need. This class will help de-stigmatize talking about mental health in your department, as well as provide practical information around how to properly debrief after a difficult call with your team, ways to maintain emotional well-being and what resources are available for those who need help.