COLT Buffalo a Hit!

More than 70 students attended Company Officers Leadership Training (COLT) from April 6-7, 2012, at the Embassy Suites in Buffalo, N.Y.

The COLT program began with a lecture entitled, "This House Rocks!" presented by Captain Michael Dugan, FDNY, and Captain Mike Gagliano, Seattle (WA) Fire Department, and concluded with a lecture entitled, "Fireground Leadership (Keeping Badges Off the Wall)" by Deputy District Chief Steve Chikerotis, Chicago (IL) Fire Department.

Dugan and Gagliano addressed what they believe are five key areas that make a fire house a thriving and fulfilling professional experience. This high-energy program offered a no-nonsense look at how one can build and enjoy the type of fire house they’ve always wanted.

Chikerotis offered a program filled with fire case studies and lessons learned from his 32 years with the Chicago Fire Department. Topics included coordinated fire attack, rescue, risk management, reading smoke, construction and collapse, flashover, communications and accountability. At the end of this training, professionals on all levels left with the tools they need to increase fireground safety and efficiency through the use of coordinated tactics.

If you missed the COLT program, Steve Chikerotis will be presenting "Fireground Strategy & Tactics Through the Eyes of an Incident Commander" on Friday, June 15 during FIRE 2012. This colorful program will look at the "how and why" of firefighting. Click here for further information.