IFSTA 90th

SENTIALS OF FIRE FIGHTING® AND RESCUE CTURAL FIRE FIGHTING: INITIAL RESPONSE STRATEGY AND TACTICS

PUMPING AND AERIAL APPARATUS DRIVER/OPERATOR HANDBOOK

CHIEF OFFICER OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS FIRE INSPECTION AND CODE ENFORCEMENT

VE FIRE INSTRUCTOR

own house. The exceptions are the development of manual indexes and printing and binding the manuals. The development of manual indexes is sent to contractors skilled in this practice. FPP does not have the printing capabilities to produce final print products in-house. Smaller projects can be printed at the Oklahoma Career Tech printing operation located a few blocks from the FPP Building. The majority of the projects are produced at the OU Printing Services located at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman, Oklahoma. Because this operation is also a state agency, FPP can send projects to them without going through a bid process. This saves a number of weeks in getting the manuals on the press and out to the users. Essentials of Fire Fighting does continue to go out for bid by commercial printers. This was primarily due to the OU printing operation not having the equipment to print extremely large manuals in a large enough quantity to make it economically feasible. This is expected to change when the 8 th edition of Essentials is released and OU will likely print that as well. As it has since 1934, FPP remains as an integral outreach part of the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (CEAT). At the time this document was written, CEAT was being led by Dean Dr. Paul Tikalsky. Assistant Dean Ed Kirtley has direct, daily responsibilities for all of the Engineering Extension programs, including the non-academic fire programs FPP, FST, and IFSAC. Prior to assuming his role at CEAT, Kirtley served as the Editorial and Curriculum Supervisor at FPP and also Director of Fire Service Training. Recruitment, Leadership, Collaboration (RLC) Project The Recruitment, Leadership, and Collaboration (RLC) Project was formed in 2019. The purpose of the RLC project was to identify organizational/personal leadership opportunities and work collaboratively to complete initiatives established by the group. It came about after a group of FPP employees attended a seminar titled “Leadercast” that was presented by the Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater. The program was packed with information and ideas for organization growth, culture, and leadership. Following the seminar, FPP Director Craig Hannan asked the attendees to identify “three for me and three for FPP.” This meant that they should identify three ways that they can better themselves and three ways they can better FPP. The information obtained through this process would help shape the needs that the RLC needed to address. The group met every two weeks to discuss ideas and work on a plan to implement them. Progress was slowed as a result of the COVID pandemic response that resulted in changes to work schedules and locations. The project moved ahead full-force once the office operations returned to normal. A number of committees/ initiatives resulted from these meetings and discussions. These are summarized below: • FIT Team — This team was charged with refining and improving the hiring process for new FPP employees. A detailed plan was developed to guide the selection and interview process. This was designed to ensure that FPP was a good fit for the selected candidate and the candidate had a high chance meeting FPP’s needs for the position. The team’s moto was “hire tough, manage easy.” • Onboarding Process/Improve Communication Group — This group’s mission was to develop a process of familiarizing a new employee with policies, their role, and the organization’s culture. The goal was to create a workplace that the employee is comfortable enough to interact with colleagues and establish social relationships. This included developing and implementing initiatives and activities that increase the exchange of important and relevant FPP information. The goal was to also communicate successes, activities, project outcomes, and other information relevant to the individuals within and outside of FPP. • Sustainability Task Group — The type of work performed by FPP employees can at times be stressful and wear down their performance and job satisfaction. This group was assigned to work hand-in-hand with FPP’s Healthy Committee to help build and maintain a sustainable workforce. The Healthy Committee was actually formed prior to the start of the RLC project. The Healthy Committee found ways to promote

16 IFSTA /FPP: THE FIRST 90 YEARS

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