Friday, September 23— Day 1

Glenn Pribbenow, Director, KF&RTI
Fred Pawlicki, Executive Director, KU Continuing Education

Mark Taylor, M.S.W., Ed.D.,

Today’s workplace can be an exciting, though not always harmonious, mixture of four generational cohorts: Traditionals, Boomers, Xers and our youngest workers from Generation NeXt. Today’s students will enter a workplace with a mixture of these four generational cohorts. Successfully navigating and managing, especially with the current changing generational dynamics and issues with worker availability and readiness, requires being able to understand, communicate with, and lead everyone from each generational group. Understanding typical generational values, traits, preferences and styles can improve recruitment, worker and workplace effectiveness, harmony and employee satisfaction and retention. This workshop will address the generational issues and dynamics in the workplace with specific, immediately applicable suggestions for being effective and developing the most productive, positive and effective work setting for all workers.

Dr. Mark Taylor is a nationally recognized expert, consultant, speaker and educator dedicated to helping schools, colleges and universities better understand and serve our students for learning, development, persistence and successful integration into the post-college world. He also works with businesses and organizations to better manage the multigenerational workplace, and to successfully bring younger workers into productive roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology, a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in counseling, from the University of Arkansas. He has academic appointments at Arkansas State University at Beebe and in the graduate school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His pragmatic information and suggestions, grounded in data, has made Dr. Taylor a popular speaker, workshop leader and training consultant with numerous schools, colleges, businesses and professional organizations across the country.

Bradford Boyd, Division Chief of Operations, Wichita Fire Department

Robert Dusenbery, Captain, Wichita Fire Department

Since Emergency Scene Rehabilitation was upgraded to an NFPA standard in 2008, fire departments in the United States have been working diligently to find the best solution to rehabilitation and medical monitoring on the fireground. Now, nearly three years into the program, Chief Boyd and Captain Dusenbery will discuss the history of NFPA-1584, how effective this initiative has been in the fire service to date, and what is in store for the future "rehab".

The presenters for this lecture were instrumental in the development and implementation of the rehab program for the Wichita Fire Department and will share with the audience some of the trials involved and ultimately the successful implementation an NFPA standard. Topics will include effective policy development, team and department training, equipment selection and documentation.

Bradford Boyd is an 18-year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department, currently serving as the Shift Commander in the Fire Operations Division. Chief Boyd has worked through the ranks as Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, and Division Chief. His responsibilities include 22 Fire Stations and 150 firefighters, department Medical Operations Manager and Department Equal Employment Liaison, as well as spending time in the classroom delivering medical and firefighter safety courses.

Chief Boyd has a Bachelor of Science from Friends University, is a National Registry Paramedic and a Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Instructor Coordinator. He is co-author of a book for Delmar Learning. Chief Boyd is also a National Fire Instructor and is a Disaster Medical adjunct instructor for Rescue Training Associates. Chief Boyd is a NIMS 300-400 Instructor, NFA Emergency Incident Safety Officer Instructor, and has certifications in many other areas.

Chief Boyd currently lives in Sedgwick County with his wife, Shawnee, and their daughter, Elle. They are licensed providers for children in need of care. They open their home to children that are taken into police protective custody and/or placed into foster care. His hobbies include fishing, camping and hunting.

Robert W. Dusenbery is life-long resident of Wichita, Kan., and a 22-year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department. Captain Dusenbery is currently serving as the A-shift Incident Safety Officer. Rising through the ranks as a Firefighter, Lieutenant and Captain he also regularly assumes the role of Battalion Chief when needed. Captain Dusenbery has been an instructor for three Fire Recruit Academies, serving as lead instructor twice. As both the Incident Safety Officer and recently the 24-hour Fire Medical Officer, Captain Dusenbery responds to all major emergency incidents in the City of Wichita.

Captain Dusenbery has earned an associate degree in fire science, and a bachelor’s degree in organizational management. Captain Dusenbery is certified by the Kansas Board of EMS as an EMT-Intermediate and a Training Officer II and as such was instrumental in the development of the Wichita Fire Department’s fireground rehabilitaion program.

Captain Dusenbery has been married 17 years to his wife Mary, and has four children living at home. When he is not spending time with his family, Captain Dusenbery serves on the board of directors for a local nonprofit agency in Wichita and regulary works with other regional emergency response agencies.

Mike Day, Firemedic, Overland Park Fire Department

As emergency responders, one of the things that cause us to feel uncomfortable is dealing with the unknown. A child in crisis often presents responders with issues that differ from our normal response. Dealing with children often creates anxiety for responders. We also do not typically respond to individuals with special needs who are having an emergency. When these two things are coupled, the potential exists for a responder to experience anxiety while trying to mitigate the situation.

This presentation will explore how to deal with these stressful situations. Topics will include the identification of common cognitive and medical disorders, the importance of effective communication with differently-abled individuals and their caregivers, and how you can take care of children with special needs before the emergency happens. In addition, the workshop will provide some examples of what fire departments can do to integrate their members with the special needs community, benefiting all in the process.

Mike Day is a firemedic with the Overland Park Kansas Fire Department with more than 16 years of fire-service experience. He is a father of two children, Spencer and Brandon. Having a child with Down syndrome has provided unique challenges, opportunities, and life experiences. Sharing these with first responders allows others to experience the joy these opportunities have provided. He has also presented similar presentations at the KEMSA conference in Kansas, at FRI in Dallas, Texas, and in Emmitsburg, Md. at the NFA TRADE Conference in 2011. He earned his master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas in 2010.

Mike served on the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild in 2004 and 2005. While working for the Guild, he founded the Kansas City chapter of D.A.D.S. (Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome). This group encourages fellowship and action for men in the lives of individuals with Down syndrome. Mike maintains an active role in the planning and execution of the fire department’s annual Special Needs Day. He continues to encourage education and awareness for people with special needs in the community and within fire and emergency services.

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J. Curtis Varone, Attorney & Counselor at Law

A firefighter takes a video with his cell phone at an emergency scene, forwards it to a buddy who is off-duty, and before the companies return to their quarters, the video has gone viral on the internet. Sound far fetched? If you have been watching the headlines, you’ll notice that the world is changing: QUICKLY. As a result fire departments’ policies are playing catch up with technology and new fads. Learn how to avoid digital imagery traps and develop sound and defensible social media polices while still having access to needed fireground photography for training purposes. Real-life cases from the past three years are extensively analyzed.

Curt Varone has more than 39 years of experience in the fire service, retiring in 2008 as a Deputy Assistant Chief with the Providence, R.I., Fire Department. He is a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine, and he has served as the Director of the Public Fire Protection Division at the NFPA. Curt has written two books, Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services , and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook . He writes the Fire Law column forFirehouse Magazine, and remains active as a firefighter in Exeter, R.I.

How do we motivate today’s firefighters away from the X-Box long enough to answer the Box Alarm? This conversation builds consensus that the majority of the challenges we face are in the firehouse, not on the fire scene. Together, we’ll learn to combat these challenges with solutions that are within our reach.

Some veteran firefighters don’t think today’s recruits share the same values as those who are currently leading us. Understand them or not, like them or not—they are the future of the fire service. The reality is that there is no other generation from a parallel universe about to swoop down and save the volunteer fire service. They are it. Get over it.

This presentation explores the next generation of firefighters and how we can learn to surround ourselves with them, and in doing so, integrate them into our value system. The goal of this conversation is simply to change the mindset of the fire service as to how we address recruitment and retention, redirecting our focus towards the most important asset in the fire service—our people.

Tiger Schmittendorf is an author, instructor, emergency manager and frequent presenter on subjects of: Leadership, safety, command, recruitment and retention. He created a recruitment effort that doubled his own fire department’s membership and netted 500+ volunteers countrywide. He is a Nationally Certified Instructor and has been a firefighter since 1980.

J. Curtis Varone, Attorney & Counselor at Law

There is no aspect of firefighter discipline that is more misunderstood, misquoted, and maligned than the GarrityRule. Yet theGarrity Rule and the right of firefighters to remain silent are vitally important for firefighters, union representatives, and fire service leaders to understand. Firefighters have lost their jobs, and fire department investigations have been mishandled—all because those involved misunderstood theGarrity Rule. This program will cover everything you need to know about Garrity Rule, and the firefighter’s right to remain silent.

Glenn Pribbenow, Director, KF&RTI