Masters Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership Online

The Fire Chief of a modern fire department has many responsibilities. It does not matter if the department is a volunteer or paid department, the responsibilities are the same. Some volunteer fire departments have more members than most paid departments; therefore the Fire Chiefs job may be even more difficult. A Fire Chief must have the knowledge and capabilities to run these departments, and a degree in executive Fire Service Leadership will provide you with the knowledge to manage a municipal or volunteer department.

With a degree in Fire Service Leadership you will be the one setting the pace. Political leaders will search you out to run their Fire Departments to protect their constituents. Small and large departments will need your management and leadership skills to maximize their department's potential.

Leadership

The Executive Fire Chief must have the capabilities to manage teams: he cannot manage the department by himself so it is up to him to gather the support staff to complete his job. A degree in executive Fire Service Leadership will focus on team building aspects to help you choose the management team that will keep the department that has chosen you as there leader, running smoothly.

Part of the education you will receive during the degree program will teach you how to recognize the skill among potential employees, and how to work with the team members to further develop their skills and knowledge. As a team leader, you will be responsible for making critical decisions, but you will make those decisions based upon the information gathered from your team and resources. Being a leader of a team that works in high stress and critical situations, it will be your task to not only set the standards upon which everyone will work, but to also be responsible for maintaining a stable and functioning atmosphere in which everyone on the team can work effectively.

Grant Writing

Fire Service leaders are responsible for the finances of the department: you have to create and manage budgets and work within tight budget constraints. The chief of the modern department must be able to find financing in the plethora of Fire Grants that are available by the Federal Government. To obtain these grants you must be fluent in your written communication skills and also in the research area to find, locate, and justify your department's needs for the grants.

Planning

The modern Fire Chief must be able to develop plan, institute policy and change where needed. Statistics have become a very important part of running our departments. The process of deciphering these statistics can be impossible without the knowledge to extract the information needed. Statistics are important in other areas as well: we utilize these statistics to ask local elected government officials for more money and manpower to secure the response area.

Aside from financial planning, a Fire Department Chief must also be able to create and institute new tactical plans, and develop new strategies for dealing with the nation's ever changing emergency response variables. This is done by staying on top of new ideas, and interventions, as well as being tuned in to the latest technological and structural changes that appear on a daily basis, and can change the way certain responses need to be handled.

Responsibility

Many of the elected officials, either government or those that sit on Fire Service boards, may have no idea what the Fire Department actually does. They know the department responds to fires but that is where it stops. They do not know what goes on behind the scenes to prepare and plan for disasters or routine responses.

It is necessary for the leaders of today to be able to effectively communicate those needs. We do this by building effective reports and presentations to convince the people of our needs, desires, and also our accomplishments.

Pre-incident planning is a growing responsibility of the modern fire service leader. The elevated risk levels and the amount of chemicals and products that are being transported every day on our nation's highways and railways sets the stage for disasters that may occur at any time. A degree in Fire Service Leadership will assist you in developing these plans and pre-plans, and implementing them in an organized manner.

Promotion

Should you desire a position such as Fire Chief or Assistant Chief of either a large urban on suburban volunteer department you will need the skills to manage and develop your employees. You will need to be able to develop programs to keep your staff updated in modern technology. You will have to create programs to evaluate your current training and future training needs. By continuing your education and advancing your desire to learn you will have the skills you need to assure your promotions and future.

A degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership will assist you in obtaining your goals in running a modern fire station and securing your future, your families future, and of course the public that you have been sworn to protect.

Desire

If you desire to obtain your degree in fire service leadership, take a look at the schools that offer this program online. With their flexible and convenient online study program, you can attend your classes from the comfort of your home, as well as keep up with your current workload and financial responsibilities.

 Featured Programs

Grand Canyon University

MS in Leadership - Disaster Preparedness & Executive Fire Leadership